Embedded Files
Next Meeting: 02/09/26, 7 PM, Ozark-Dale Library
Focus On the Issues: Foreign Policy
Greenland’s PM has a blunt message for Trump: ‘We choose Denmark’ over the U.S.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/13/greenland-denmark-trump-nielsen-frederiksen.html
South Florida Cubans react to U.S. allowing Mexico's oil aid to Cuba amid crisis
Mexican president tells Trump that US intervention against cartels is 'unnecessary'
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/mexican-president-tells-trump-us-165827388.html
Comment: "Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had 'a very good conversation' with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday and that their two governments will continue working together on security issues without the need for U.S. intervention against drug cartels."
"The approximately 15-minute call came after Sheinbaum said Friday she had requested dialogue with the Trump administration at the end of a week in which he had said he was ready to confront drug cartels on the ground and repeated the accusation that cartels were running Mexico."
"Trump has repeatedly offered to send the U.S. military after the cartels and Sheinbaum has always declined, but after the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump’s comments about Mexico, Cuba and Greenland carried new weight."
" 'He (Trump) asked me my opinion about what they had done in Venezuela and I told him very clearly that our constitution is very clear, that we do not agree with interventions and that was it,' Sheinbaum said."
China threatens to retaliate over Trump’s 25% tariff on countries trading with Iran
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/12/trump-tariffs-iran
Comment: "China has threatened to retaliate against Donald Trump after the US president said he would impose 25% tariffs on countries that trade with Iran as a way of punishing Tehran for its brutal crackdown on the biggest anti-regime protests in years."
"Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said Beijing would 'take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests' after Trump threatened to ramp up the global trade war."
"Trump, who is still reviewing a range of military options against the Iranian regime, said the new tariffs would be 'effective immediately', without providing further details about whether there would be any exemptions, including for countries that only trade humanitarian goods such as medicines. More than 140 countries still trade with Iran, according to the World Bank, but sometimes only in minuscule amounts."
Comment: Trump makes these grand pronouncements without any thought of how the tariffs would be implemented and what the economic and foreign relation consequences to the U.S. would be.
Trump says U.S. is ready to help Iranians get freedom
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/10/trump-iran-protests-freedom
Comment: "President Trump said on Saturday that his administration is ready to help the protesters in Iran get the freedom they are looking for."
Comment: "In his remarks, Trump went further than he has so far and suggested the U.S. could intervene in favor of the protesters regardless of whether the regime uses violence against them."
Comment: "Trump said several times over the last week that he will use military force if the Iranian regime uses force against protesters."
Comment: "Raz Zimmt, the director of the Iran Program at the Institute for National Security Studies, questioned whether a U.S. military intervention at this stage would strengthen the current protest movement in Iran."
" 'On the one hand, a military strike that targets specific regime assets, such as IRGC or law enforcement forces, could provide momentum and encouragement to the protest movement. On the other hand, such an intervention could have contradictory effects at this stage,' he said."
"Zimmt added that U.S. military intervention could deter some of the citizens who are currently in the streets, especially given that many regime targets are located in the heart of population centers. In addition, it could be rejected by parts of the Iranian public and might delay the participation of broader segments of society who oppose foreign intervention in the protests."
" 'Trump might be better off waiting to see how this wave of protests develops before adding another layer of uncertainty inherent in any such strike. However, if repression continues over the coming days, he may be compelled to act on his threats in order to maintain U.S. credibility,' Zimmt said."
Greenland's party leaders firmly reject Trump's push to acquire island: "We don't want to be Americans"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/greenland-trump-reject-acquisition-dont-want-to-be-americans/
It is Europe's right to say no if U.S. makes unacceptable proposal, France says | Reuters
Trump says US will do something on Greenland 'whether they like it or not'
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-us-greenland/story?id=129069483
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Friday continued to press for U.S. control of Greenland, telling reporters: 'We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not.' "
" 'Because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor,' Trump said as he hosted oil executives at the White House to discuss investments in Venezuela."
"The president has repeatedly said he wants to take over Greenland either by buying the autonomous island territory or by using military force, calling it a matter of national security despite fierce pushback from Greenland, Denmark and European allies."
Trump wants Mexico to ‘take out the cartels.’ Here’s why that’s so hard | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/09/americas/analysis-mexican-drug-cartels-trump-intl-latam
Venezuela full coverage: U.S. military seizes 2 oil tankers; Trump says country will turn over up to 50 million barrels
Command: "U.S. forces took control of a Russian-flagged ship linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic and another vessel in the Caribbean."
Rubio will meet with Danes next week as Trump administration warns Greenland — again
Comment: "Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he planned to discuss a U.S. acquisition of Greenland with Danish officials next week, as the White House again asserted that President Donald Trump’s preference would be to acquire the territory through a negotiation."
"The U.S. would even consider purchasing the island."
"But press secretary Karoline Leavitt held out the possibility of a military takeover should diplomatic efforts fail and likened Trump’s approach to how he dealt with Iran and Venezuela, both of which he opted to attack after negotiations faltered."
UN rights chief says Israeli policy in West Bank 'resembles apartheid system'
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly9erv6p15o
CNN: Trump’s credibility problem on Venezuela
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/07/politics/trump-venezuela-justifications-credibility
Trump presses Venezuela to dismiss agents from China, Russia, Iran, Cuba
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/07/us-trump-venezuela-china-russia-iran-cuba-agents
Comment: "The Trump administration is pressing Venezuela's interim government to dismiss all suspected spies and other intelligence agents from China, Russia, Cuba and Iran from the South American country, a U.S. official told Axios."
Comment: "The move, which does not apply to regular diplomatic personnel, marks the administration's latest effort to force the oil-rich nation to meet U.S. demands following last week's raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro."
"President Trump has warned that noncompliance by Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, could trigger a second military operation in the country."
Trump administration demands Venezuela cut ties with US adversaries to resume oil production | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/07/politics/venezuela-trump-oil-demands
Video: Rubio told lawmakers that Trump's goal is to buy Greenland from Denmark, sources say - January 7, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJZAEmYH1oQ
Reuters: France working with allies on plan should US move on Greenland
Comment: "Summary:
European allies working on plan should US move on Greenland
Trump has renewed talk of gaining control of mineral-rich Arctic island
Any US military action would send shockwaves through NATO
European leaders have affirmed Greenland's autonomy
White House says Trump discussing purchase of Greenland with aides"
Comment: "The top U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday he would meet leaders of Denmark next week but signalled no retreat from President Donald Trump's aim to take over Greenland as alarmed allies, including France and Germany, were working on a response."
"A weekend U.S. military operation that seized the leader of Venezuela rekindled concerns about U.S. intentions toward Greenland, and U.S. officials have done little to allay fears."
Rubio, Hegseth lay out plan to sell Venezuelan oil, suggest no troops on ground
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5676818-us-control-venezuela-oil/
Trump says US to get 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela at market price
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5668993/trump-us-30-million-barrels-oil-venezuela
Video: White House discussing ‘options’ to acquire Greenland, says military use isn’t off the table - January 6, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOIoims2VLg
Comment: Although Greenland story is the headline, video also discusses Venezuela.
Venezuela’s people must be heard, insists UN human rights chief
https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166707
Comment: When was the last time that Trump paid attention to the UN?
Bolton on Trump Venezuela plan: ‘I don’t think he understands anything’
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/5674815-venezuela-leadership-bolton-trump/
Comment: "John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Trump, said he doesn’t think the president grasps the specifics of the situation in Venezuela in the wake of the U.S. capturing its leader, Nicolás Maduro."
"Outlining the next steps for the South American country and arguing that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and her party should lead it, Bolton told host Kate Bouduan Tuesday on 'CNN News Central' that Trump 'is very confused about this'."
" 'I don’t think he understands anything about what we just talked about,” he continued."
Video: Details on CIA assessment of Venezuela leadership scenarios produced before Maduro capture - January 6, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJv2OF3v2f8
Trump and Rubio's global intimidation campaign
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/06/trump-rubio-threaten-venezuela-colombia-cuba
Comment: "President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have whipped up a sense of fear and intimidation in foreign capitals since the capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, together threatening at least six countries."
Comment: "In the wake of one of the most brazen displays of American power in decades, foreign leaders are taking the warnings very, very seriously."
Comment: "The administration's tough-guy posturing has escalated since the stunning raid that captured Maduro, as Trump has claimed he now controls Venezuela."
"Rubio said Saturday that Maduro 'tried to play big boy' rather than bend to Trump's will, and as a result the Venezuelan leader was blindfolded and on a battleship, en route to New York City to face drug trafficking charges."
" 'The message for the world is, don't play games with this president,' Rubio said, 'because it's not going to end well'."
"Stephen Miller, another architect of the move on Maduro, told CNN on Monday that the rest of the Western Hemisphere should be on notice: 'We're a superpower, and under President Trump we're going to conduct ourselves as a superpower.' "
Comment: "Trump and his team have floated potential action in Cuba, Colombia and even Mexico over the twin demons of drugs and socialism — plus more attacks on Venezuela, if acting President Delcy Rodriguez won't fall in line."
"Trump also threatened to attack Iran, in the name of protecting those protesting economic hardship there."
"Then there's Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. 'We do need Greenland, absolutely,' Trump reiterated to The Atlantic in the afterglow of the Maduro operation, citing the presence of Chinese and Russian ships nearby."
‘Mexico should indeed be concerned’: Trump’s threats rattle Mexican officials, businesses
Comment: "Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is dismissing talk of a U.S. 'invasion' of her country."
"Privately, some Mexican officials and business leaders are concerned that President Donald Trump’s threats may soon become reality. A worst-case scenario, some fear, is a U.S. strike that results in civilian casualties and throws the country into political and economic chaos."
"Trump’s rhetoric, including his suggestion over the weekend that Washington may have to 'do something' about cartels that are 'running Mexico,' is reviving fears in Mexico City that the United States may act unilaterally against Mexico — particularly after the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday."
Politico: Trump says his Greenland fixation is about national security. Europeans are skeptical.
Comment: "President Donald Trump says the U.S. needs Greenland for national security, ostensibly to counter Russia and China. But Trump’s interest in the sparsely populated island appears to be as much about hemispheric dominance as homeland defense."
"According to two people familiar with private high-level discussions and granted anonymity to share their details, the White House has shown little interest in an overture last year from Denmark’s prime minister offering the U.S. the option to increase its military presence in Greenland, where it already operates a base and has long deployed troops at liberty."
US military is 'always an option' for Trump to acquire Greenland, White House official says
Comment: Video included with article.
'We need Greenland': Trump repeats threat to annex Danish territory
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g0zg974v1o
Comment: "Donald Trump has again proposed annexing Greenland, after Denmark's leader urged him to 'stop the threats' over the island."
Comment: "Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen responded by saying 'that's enough now' and described the notion of US control over the island as a 'fantasy'."
"He said: 'No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.' "
"Earlier, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had said 'the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom'."
"Frederiksen added that Denmark 'and thus Greenland' was a Nato member and covered by the alliance's security guarantee, and said a defence agreement granting the US access to the island was already in place."
Travel notice: Countries are banning US travelers, canceling American visas
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/travel-notice-countries-banning-us-205227724.html
Comment: "Several countries are taking a stance against the United States’ recent uptick in travel restrictions and imposing a reciprocal travel ban against U.S. citizens from entering their countries."
"The West African countries of Mali and Burkina Faso announced they will ban U.S. citizens from entering their countries after the Trump administration banned Malian and Burkinabe citizens from entering the United States."
"The Trump administration expanded travel restrictions for more than a dozen countries in mid-December. In addition to Mali and Burkina Faso, travelers from Niger also were added to the list."
Video: Colombia calls for de-escalation after U.S. captures Maduro - January 5, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SYE_sirr9Y
Video: Two women vying to run Venezuela amid opposing viewpoints on U.S. intervention - January 5, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6PC05u-JQo
Video: WH official: US in charge of Venezuela because 'military stationed outside the country' - January 5, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUATziI8hwE
Video: ‘We’re in charge’: Trump on Venezuela after Maduro raid - January 5, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFU58QWG11o
Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Could Change the World. Here’s How.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/01/04/us-venezuela-maduro-predictions-analysis-00710030
Comment: "13 experts on what comes next in Latin America and beyond."
‘The axis of authoritarians … may feel additional urgency to prove their value’
'One could easily imagine a Chinese indictment of a Taiwanese leader’
‘Without Venezuelan oil, Cuba’s political system will finally collapse’
‘A synonym for overconfident failure’
‘Longer term, Venezuela could play a much bigger role in the global oil market’
‘Threaten the leaders of recalcitrant allies and weak adversaries’
‘Complicating his own grand strategy’
‘A mad dash for Venezuela’s resources’
‘Ukraine and Taiwan should be very afraid’
‘Latin countries will reassess their very limited ability to deter U.S. military attacks’
‘The U.S. just ceded the high ground to rally world support to defend Taiwan’
‘Too early for anyone to celebrate a potential oil-backed resource boom’
‘Strong incentives to quietly appease Washington’
Comment: The preceding are the titles of short analyses provided by the 13 experts in this article. Since the titles are not always descriptive of the analyses, please read the text of the analyses. The analyses are from various political, economic, national, and philosophical perspectives.
Trump wants U.S. oil companies in Venezuela. Here's what to know
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/04/nx-s1-5665795/trump-us-oil-companies-venezuela
Comment: "The capture of Maduro and Trump's comments comes at a time when even a country like Venezuela — with one of the biggest oil resources in the world — isn't a sure bet for attracting major oil companies."
"Many oil companies have been bruised by their past experiences operating in the country. The global oil market is currently facing an oversupply. Oil prices are below $60 a barrel, and long-term projections for oil demand are unclear as the world shifts to more electric vehicles."
Comment: "Not all crude oil is the same — some oil is physically lighter and easier for refineries to process. Venezuela's oil is heavy and dense, and requires special refineries. Burning any type of oil contributes to climate change, but Venezuela's oil is "among the dirtiest oils in the world to produce when it comes to global warming," says Paasha Mahdavi, associate professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara."
Comment: "Next door to Venezuela is Guyana — a country that recently discovered over 10 billion barrels of oil and is a key emerging player in the international oil industry."
"Guyana's oil is lighter than Venezuela's, less polluting, and has lower taxes than Venezuela, Monaldi says. There's also no national oil company in Guyana, as there is in Venezuela."
Comment: "And ultimately, notes Kepes, if it's unclear who is in charge in Venezuela, oil companies will have concerns about the long-term viability of their contracts. 'No one's going to start investing on the ground in a place where there's no legal contract and viable permission to operate or if there's concerns about political stability and violence,' he says."
CNN: A clearer picture is emerging of what Trump meant when he said the US will ‘run’ Venezuela
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/04/politics/us-running-venezuela-trump-administration
The ‘Putinization’ of US foreign policy has arrived in Venezuela
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/03/putin-russia-us-foreign-policy-venezuela
US oil giants silent on Trump claim they will spend billions on Venezuelan oil industry
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/03/us-oil-trump-venezuela
Comment: "US oil giants have so far remained silent on Donald Trump's claim that they are primed to spend 'billions and billions of dollars' rebuilding the Venezuelan oil industry following the ouster of Nicolas Maduro."
"Chevron, the only US oil company still operating in Venezuela, committed only to following 'relevant laws and regulations' after the US president suggested American energy multinationals would be central to his plans for the country."
"Venezuela’s vast oil reserves – reputedly the world’s largest – will be modernized and exploited, Trump claimed in interviews and a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate. US oil firms will invest heavily to reconstruct 'rotted' infrastructure, ramp up production and sell 'large amounts … to other countries', he told reporters, adding: 'We’re in the oil business.' "
" 'We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies – the biggest anywhere in the world – go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country,' the president said. The firms would be 'reimbursed', he added, without providing more detail."
Comment: " 'I don’t think companies will rush back into the country,' said León, who suggested it would be 'very, very tricky' for Venezuela to attract the private investment required to dramatically increase oil production."
"He added: 'Companies, before rushing back into the country, will want to see the country is stable enough. The fact this industry was nationalized by [Hugo] Chávez a few years ago, that remains in the back of their minds. They will really want to see things improving.' "
"The global oil market is 'entering into a period of oversupply', said León. 'Prices will come down and will continue to come down … That means that oil companies will be very, very selective of where they invest, in a period of lower prices. Given the choice, they will probably want to go investing in places they already know.' "
Comment: It doesn't sound like Trump's plan for post-Maduro Venezuela was well thought out.
‘It sends a horrible signal’: US politicians react to capture of Nicolás Maduro
Comment: "Republicans cheer capture of Venezuelan leader, but Democrats say it ‘risks pulling our nation into another war’ "
Video: Venezuela VP demands 'immediate release' of Maduro and his wife - January 3, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apseHD6BsCs
Comment: "Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez asserted that Nicolás Maduro is 'the only president of Venezuela' after US forces captured Maduro early Saturday."
"In a defiant address broadcast from Caracas, Rodríguez said that Venezuelans 'must not become slaves again.' 'We will never be a colony again,' she said. She also condemned the 'aggression' from the United States and declared that the 'words of the president are the only ones we are guided by.' ”
" 'We demand the immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, the only president of Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro,' Rodríguez said during a session of the National Defense Council broadcast by state television channel VTV."
"Alongside other top officials, Rodríguez said that Venezuela’s territorial integrity was 'savagely attacked' by the operation that the US carried out in Caracas and other parts of the country."
TRUMP: U.S. WILL "RUN" VENEZUELA, NOT AFRAID OF "BOOTS ON THE GROUND"
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/03/trump-venezuela-maduro
Trump says US will temporarily ‘run’ Venezuela after raid capturing Maduro
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/03/trump-victory-lap-raid-maduro-00709641
Comment: "The United States will 'run' Venezuela until a leadership transition is able to take place, President Donald Trump said Saturday, hours after the U.S. military ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. "
" 'We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,' Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. 'We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.' "
"Trump provided few details of how the U.S. would lead the Latin American country, other than it would be a 'group' likely including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine."
"Trump also hinted at the possibility of American troops being stationed in Venezuela, saying the U.S. is 'not afraid of boots on the ground'.”
Comment: Even if there is a real plan to "run" Venezuela (and there does not appear to be one), Trump's choice of words is very undiplomatic. They are insulting and may likely undermine any attempt to win over the 'hearts and minds' of the Venezuelan people, whose cooperation will be necessary to "provide a safe, proper and judicious transition." His words also communicate a sense of domination that might foreshadow U.S. exploitation of Venezuela's natural resources. At least that will be the diplomatic message that our adversaries will be communicating to others, perhaps to justify their own expansionist or colonization plans.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado releases letter after Maduro's capture. Read the full text.
World leaders denounce U.S. operation to capture Maduro
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/03/maduro-capture-venezuela-world-leaders
Comment: "Countries including Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Russia and Iran condemned the Trump administration's intervention in Venezuela on Saturday after the U.S. 'captured' President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and flew them out of the country."
Comment: "The attacks overnight in Caracas follow months of pressure from the Trump administration, including a $50 million bounty on Maduro for alleged narco-terrorism, strikes on alleged drug boats and the seizures of tankers carrying Venezuelan oil."
Comment: The linked article contains statements from various world leaders.
Video: U.S. launches military strikes on Venezuela, sources say | Special Report - January 3, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTIVylaPlI8
Video: Trump's new national security strategy and how it may play out in 2026 - January 2, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ny8WQYcK2M
Comment: "President Trump recently released his new national security strategy. It’s a remarkable document that upends many of the principles that have guided U.S. policymaking since the end of World War II. Jeffrey Goldberg and Tom Friedman discuss the new strategy and how it may play out in conflict zones around the world."
Comment: Very Interesting perspective. Please watch!
Video: Venezuela has detained several Americans as tensions with US rise - January 2, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrywbsApCRo
CNN: CIA strike brings Trump closer to grave new year decisions on Venezuela
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/31/politics/venezuela-drone-strike-trump-maduro-analysis
Nearly half of Americans don't support Trump's Russia-Ukraine efforts
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5668690-americans-disapprove-trump-russia/
Comment: "When asked in The Economist/YouGov poll about their support for 'the way Donald Trump is handling the situation with Russia and Ukraine,' 49 percent of respondents said they 'somewhat disapprove' or 'strongly disapprove'."
"Thirty percent of respondents in the same poll said they either 'somewhat approve' or 'strongly approve' Trump’s handling of the situation, while 20 percent were unsure."
Video: Trump signals Russia blocking path to peace as CIA rejects Putin's drone attack claim - December 31, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vv6V-hK5Kw
US finds Ukraine didn’t target Putin in drone strike
Comment: "U.S. national-security officials said Wednesday that Ukraine didn’t target Russian President Vladimir Putin or one of his residences in an alleged drone operation, challenging Moscow’s assertion that Kyiv sought to kill the Russian leader."
"That conclusion is supported by a Central Intelligence Agency assessment that found no attempted attack against Putin had occurred, according to a U.S. official briefed on the intelligence. The CIA declined to comment."
"The U.S. found that Ukraine had been seeking to strike a military target located in the same region as Putin’s country residence but that wasn’t close by, the U.S. official said."
EU's top diplomat rejects Russian claims of Ukrainian attack on government sites
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q4e4e4ldyo
Comment: "The EU's top diplomat has called Moscow's claims that Ukraine targeted Russian government sites a 'deliberate distraction' and an attempt to derail the peace process."
"Kaja Kallas' comments on social media appear to be a reference to the Kremlin's allegation that Ukraine attempted a drone strike on one of Vladimir Putin's residences."
" 'No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine's infrastructure and civilians,' Kallas wrote on social media."
"Earlier this week Moscow accused Ukraine of targeting Putin's private home on Lake Valdai in north-west Russia."
Israel says it will bar aid groups, including Doctors Without Borders, from Gaza
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/30/g-s1-103986/israel-gaza-aid-ngos
Comment: "Israel on Tuesday said it had suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and CARE, from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration rules."
"Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other militant groups from infiltrating the aid organizations. But the organizations say the rules are arbitrary and warned that the new ban would harm a civilian population desperately in need of humanitarian aid."
"Israel has claimed throughout the war that Hamas was siphoning off aid supplies, a charge the U.N. and aid groups have denied. The new rules, announced by Israel early this year, require aid organizations to register the names of their workers and provide details about funding and operations in order to continue working in Gaza."
"The new regulations included ideological requirements — including disqualifying organizations that have called for boycotts against Israel, denied the Oct. 7 attack or expressed support for any of the international court cases against Israeli soldiers or leaders."
Trump, top aides asked Netanyahu to change policy in occupied West Bank
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/30/netanyahu-trump-west-bank-meeting-settlements
Comment: "President Trump and his top advisers asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change Israel's policies in the occupied West Bank during their meeting on Monday, according to a U.S. official and another source, both with direct knowledge."
Comment: "While the security situation in the West Bank has deteriorated dramatically, and other Western governments have denounced Israeli's policies, the Trump administration has been seen as supportive. This is the first time in his second term that Trump and his team have weighed in at length with Netanyahu about West Bank policy."
"The U.S. official said the White House thinks a violent escalation in the West Bank would undermine efforts to implement the Gaza peace agreement and prevent the expansion of the Abraham Accords before the end of Trump's term."
"Over the past three years, Netanyahu's hard-right government has actively pushed policies that have weakened the Palestinian Authority and starved it of funds, dramatically expended settlements, legalized outposts, forcibly displaced Palestinian communities and taken many more steps toward de-facto annexation."
"Trump and his team expressed concern about the situation in the West Bank and asked Netanyahu to avoid provocative steps and 'calm things down,' the sources said."
An escalation in Yemen threatens to reignite civil war and widen tensions in the Gulf
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/30/g-s1-103991/yemen-conflict
US NATO envoy casts doubt on Russian claim that Ukraine attacked Putin’s residence
Did Ukraine target Putin’s residence or is Russian claim a ploy to sway Trump?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/30/did-ukraine-target-putin-residence-russian-claim-trump
Comment: "The Russian claim, as so much of geopolitics in 2025, seems to have been primarily targeted at an audience of one, Trump, and he seems to have bought it. 'It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that,' Trump said on Monday."
Comment: "What evidence has Moscow provided?"
"Absolutely none, and on Tuesday Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said there would be none forthcoming. 'I don’t think there should be any evidence if such a massive drone attack is being carried out, which, thanks to the well-coordinated work of the air defence system, was shot down,' he told journalists in a phone call."
"Often, when there is a Ukrainian drone attack, Russians living nearby post video of explosions to social media, but there is no footage of this supposed attack, and residents of nearby Valdai told Russian independent media outlets they had not heard explosions on Monday."
Comment: "Can Moscow be trusted?"
"In a word, no. The Kremlin and the defence ministry often make fantastical claims about the war in Ukraine. Moscow still insists it never targets civilians in its drone and missile raids on Ukraine, despite regular evidence to the contrary. Russian authorities have a long history of fictitious stories about Ukraine, stretching back to the 2014 annexation of Crimea when Putin claimed the Russian special forces annexing the peninsula were in fact local people."
Comment: The linked article evaluates various other questions about Russia's claims.
Russia says its negotiating stance on Ukraine will toughen after accusing Kyiv of attack
Comment: How many of you believe that Russia never had any intention of negotiating a peace and fabricated the supposed attack on Putin's residence?
Trump forces a rewrite of Canada’s trade strategy
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/29/mark-carney-trade-doctrine-00707257
Comment: "Donald Trump’s return to the presidency has ripped up decades of Canadian goodwill toward deeper economic integration with the United States. Nearly every senior minister is now involved in managing the fallout of America’s use of trade as a weapon — a situation the prime ministers office is treating as an emergency."
"It’s a moment of existential crisis for Canada, a senior Carney government official told POLITICO. Waiting out the Trump administration isn’t an option, the official said, arguing that what’s happening in the United States reflects a generational shift — not a temporary disruption — and that returning to a policy of closer integration with America would be foolish. They were granted anonymity to speak freely about private discussions."
"The urgency has translated into sweeping marching orders for Cabinet members. 'It’s all hands on deck with trade diversification,' International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said, as Carney pushes ministers to fan out across sectors to reduce Canada’s dependence on its largest (and now most volatile) trading partner. 'This is why you’re seeing multiple ministers in trade.' "
"Two-thirds of Canada’s economy is powered by trade, and roughly three-quarters of its exports flow to the U.S. It’s a C$1.3 trillion annual relationship that was celebrated on both sides of the border in good times but has become a source of leverage for America, especially with the Trump administration expected to continue squeezing Canadian industries with tariffs."
Comment: "Trade war tensions with America are pushing Canada closer to China and India."
"Carney is set to visit Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on separate trips in the new year, two dramatic U-turns in recent Canadian foreign policy."
Comment: The Trump administration pushes our best trading partner and friend away and forces them to look elsewhere.
Germany’s far-right AfD invited to join Munich Security Conference 2026
Comment: "The Munich Security Conference (MSC) has invited lawmakers from Alternative für Deutschland to join its annual gathering of top international defence officials in February after shutting out the far-right party for the last two years."
"The reversal, which was confirmed by organisers, came after the US vice-president, JD Vance, lambasted the AfD’s exclusion in a blistering speech at this year's event in which he accused Germany of stifling free speech by sidelining the anti-migrant, pro-Kremlin party." [emphasis added]
Comment: "Asked whether Vance’s criticism had played a role in the decision, the spokesperson said: 'The MSC decides independently on invitations to its events.' "
"Vance raised hackles by meeting on the sidelines of the MSC with AfD's co-leader Alice Weidel just days before Germany’s general election in February, after declining an offer to see the then chancellor, Olaf Scholz."
Comment: "The political consultant Johannes Hillje said without an 'official explanation' of the MSC’s new stance, 'it looks like a capitulation to JD Vance and his criticism of the exclusion of the AfD'."
"The AfD 'is more extreme than other western rightwing populist parties, which is why the German state cannot treat it like any other party', Hillje said."
Comment: "The MSC’s about-face comes amid a heated debate in Germany about how to contain the AfD as it grows in strength. The party took more than one in five votes at the last national election to become the leading opposition party in parliament."
Comment: "Germany’s domestic intelligence service in May classed the AfD as a 'confirmed rightwing extremist' force, although that designation is still under official review."
Comment: Why is JD Vance meddling in the domestic affairs of Germany, especially on behalf of an extremist rightwing pro-Kremlin political party like the AfD?
Exclusive: CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/politics/cia-drone-strike-venezuela
Russia doubles down on claim of Ukrainian attack on Putin residence, but offers no concrete proof
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/europe/russia-claim-ukrainian-drone-attack-putin-residence-intl
Pompeo: Putin has ‘conceded literally nothing’ in Ukraine peace talks
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5665962-pompeo-putin-ukraine-concessions/
Comment: "Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has 'conceded literally nothing' in talks to end the war in Ukraine."
" 'The adversary here, Vladimir Putin, has — to best I can tell — conceded literally nothing to date. And while they say there’s 90 percent agreement, I doubt that Vladimir Putin thinks that the relevant 10 percent that remains is anything he’s willing to give up on,' Pompeo said on Fox News’s 'Fox & Friends'."
“ 'This is about land. He also doesn’t want European forces on his border. That’s part of the security guarantee. I’ll bet that’s a poison pill for him,' he added."
Putin tells Trump Ukraine attacked his residence, which Kyiv denies
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/29/putin-ukraine-drone-attack-claim-trump-call
Ukraine denies drone attack on Putin's residence
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g4g5lgngvo
Comment: "President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied allegations by Russia that Ukraine launched a drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences, and accused Moscow of trying to derail peace talks."
"Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Kyiv had launched an attack over Sunday night using 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Putin's state residence in Russia's northwestern Novgorod region."
"Russia said it would now review its position in peace negotiations. It is not yet clear where Putin was at the time of the alleged attack."
Comment: "On Tuesday, the Kremlin said it would not provide evidence for the alleged strike, with a spokesman telling journalists that Russia would now 'toughen' its negotiating stance."
"Ukraine's foreign minister called on other countries to refrain from responding to Russia's 'false claims'."
" 'Almost a day passed, and Russia still hasn't provided any plausible evidence to its accusations of Ukraine's alleged 'attack on Putin's residence'. And they won't. Because there's none. No such attack happened,' Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X."
Comment: Does anybody besides Trump and his 2 Russian negotiators (his real estate buddy - Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner) still believe that Putin wants to negotiate peace in Ukraine, unless it is completely on his own terms? It sounds like Zelensky is correct and that Putin made up this false report to undermine any peace negotiations.
Video: Russia says Ukrainian drone attack targeted Putin’s residence - December 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2nd8Lf0scs
Why Trump's 'terrific' meeting with Zelensky was also pretty good for Putin
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/world/trump-meeting-zelensky-ukraine-terrific-putin-intl
The U.S. offers Ukraine a 15-year security guarantee for now, Zelenskyy says
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/29/g-s1-103906/ukraine-russia-trump-zelenskyy-security
Comment: "The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbor's land by force."
Comment: "Negotiators are still searching for a breakthrough on key issues, however, including whose forces withdraw from where in Ukraine and the fate of Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the 10 biggest in the world. Trump noted that the monthslong U.S.-led negotiations could still collapse."
" 'Without security guarantees, realistically, this war will not end,' Zelenskyy told reporters in voice messages responding to questions sent via a WhatsApp chat."
Comment: "Details of the security guarantees have not become public, but Zelenskyy said Monday they include how a peace deal would be monitored as well as the "presence" of partners. He didn't elaborate, but Russia has said it won't accept the deployment in Ukraine of troops from NATO countries."
Comment: "Trump said he would consider extending U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine beyond 15 years, according to Zelenskyy. The guarantees would be approved by the U.S. Congress as well as by parliaments in other countries involved in overseeing any settlement, he said."
Comment: [From AI Overall] "In 1994, Ukraine agreed to give up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances from the US, UK, and Russia, formalized in the Budapest Memorandum."
Comment: Is it any wonder that Russia "won't accept the deployment in Ukraine of troops from NATO countries?" We can see how Putin responded to the security assurances that Russia signed in 1994. Given the 1994 assurances, Putin can see how the US and the UK responded to his annexation of the Crimea in 2014 and the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. With Trump in the process of undermining NATO, Putin likely feels comfortable that a Trump security guarantee for Ukraine is worthless. However, Putin is not sure about the rest of Europe, whose countries may fear for their own security if Putin is left unchecked in Ukraine.
Comment: By the way, if Trump decides to provide a security guarantee, even if it is not be trusted, are Americans expected to pay the costs for providing it? Has Congress been given an expected price tag?
Video: Zelenskiy smiles as Trump says Putin wants Ukraine to succeed | REUTERS - December 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds4gI6MbEsQ
Comment: "US President Trump said he and Putin spoke on a call and the Russian president pledged to help rebuild Ukraine, including by supplying cheap energy. As Trump praised Putin during a news conference, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy tilted his head and smiled."
Comment: Zelensky knows that Trump is completely crazy and is in Putin's pocket. All Zelensky can do is smile in disbelief at the lies coming out of Trump's mouth.
Video: Netanyahu says Trump will become first non-Israeli to receive Israel Prize - December 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Rn75DKwQc
Comment: Does anyone else think that Netanyahu is blatantly flattering Trump with this prize in an attempt to influence American foreign policy toward Israel, and specifically thanking Trump for asking the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu on corruption charges?
Israel's president denies telling Trump a Netanyahu pardon is "on its way"
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/29/trump-netanyahu-pardon-israel-president-denies
Comment: "Israeli President Isaac Herzog swiftly denied President Trump's claim on Monday that he had told the U.S. president he would pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."
"Trump has intervened repeatedly in Israel's politics and judicial system by pressuring Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, who faces multiple corruption charges. He did so once again on Monday when Netahyahu arrived to meet him at Mar-a-Lago."
Netanyahu brings a familiar message to Trump, who’s grown wary of Israeli actions | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/politics/trump-netanyahu-meeting-florida
Takeaways from Trump and Netanyahu's meeting in Florida
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/politics/trump-netanyahu-meeting-takeaways
China holds military drills around Taiwan as warning to 'separatist forces'
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87l7xjp235o
‘Times have changed’: Germany’s military seeks recruits as it confronts new era
Comment: "The Bundeswehr is on a recruitment drive on a scale not seen for decades. According to experts, the size of the professional military needs to expand by about 80,000 members to 260,000 over the next 10 years, and its reservists by 140,000 to 200,000 within a similar timeframe."
"Intense public outreach work is considered necessary. It aims to convince a population – which for decades has defined itself by pacifism owing to the scars of the Nazi era – that the military’s role is primarily to defend Europe’s largest economy and that soldiers are not warmongers, but citizens in uniform."
"From 1 January, young men who turn 18 will have to fill out a questionnaire assessing their suitability for armed service, and in about two years will be expected to undergo an obligatory health test so authorities have on record who is potentially available in the event they are needed to fight in a full-scale war."
"In an attempt to attract more volunteers, army wages are to be boosted, while recruits will have access to language courses, subsidised driving licences, free second-class train travel (if they’re in uniform) and the opportunity to obtain new qualifications."
Comment: Germany prepares in response to Putin's threat to Europe and to Trump's threat to the NATO alliance.
Lavrov: Europe, EU ‘main obstacles to peace’ in Russia-Ukraine talks
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5664598-lavrov-trump-europe-obstacle-russia-ukraine-war/
Comment: "Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with state-run media that Europe has been the main obstacle for peace amid its war in Ukraine since President Trump returned to office earlier this year."
"In an interview with TASS published Sunday, the foreign minister praised Trump and sought to blame the Europeans for slow progress on peace talks to end the war with Ukraine."
" 'After a new administration came to power in the United States, Europe and the European Union emerged as the main obstacles to peace. They are making no secret of the fact that they are getting ready to fight it out with Russia on the battlefield,' Lavrov said."
Comment: Of course the Russians are praising Trump and blaming Europe. Trump is willing to sacrifice Ukraine and give the Russians everything they want. The Europeans are demanding that the Russians make certain concessions, as Ukraine has already done. The Europeans are smart enough to know that Putin cannot be trusted. Apparently, Trump is either not that smart, or perhaps, he just doesn't care about European security.
Trump reports 'very productive call' with Putin before meeting with Zelenskyy in Florida
Trump said he had 'good and very productive' call with Putin ahead of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy meeting
Comment: "President Donald Trump said that he just had a 'good and very productive telephone call' with Russian President Vladimir Putin, shortly before Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to meet in Florida Sunday."
Comment: "The peace talks are scheduled to take place in the wake of Russia's launch of dozens of drones into Ukraine overnight, the air force in Kyiv said."
"Ukraine's air force reported 48 Russian drones fired into the country from Saturday night into Sunday morning, of which 30 were shot down or suppressed. Eighteen drones impacted across nine locations, the air force said."
"The latest barrage caps an intense week of long-range Russian attacks, in which at least 1,810 drones and missiles have been fired, according to Ukrainian air force data analyzed by ABC News."
"Saturday night's strikes came after Zelenskyy arrived in North America for further talks on a potential deal to end Russia's full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022."
Comment: The Russian missile and drone attacks certainly imply that Putin is ready to talk peace. [sarcasm added]. Of course, Trump is still impressed by Putin's messaging.
Putin Humiliates Trump With Kyiv Strike on Eve of Peace Talks
https://www.thedailybeast.com/putin-humiliates-trump-with-kyiv-strike-on-eve-of-peace-talks/
Video: Trump establishing a hard line on foreign policy - December 27, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agj6HIVL8Wo
Comment: "During his first year back in power, President Trump has used American military might to send messages to adversaries abroad. On Christmas Day, Mr. Trump ordered a strike on ISIS militants in Nigeria, which came about one week after the U.S. also struck ISIS targets in Syria. Willie James Inman reports from Mar-a-Lago."
US launches strikes against Islamic State in Nigeria
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj69j8l918do
Comment: "The US has launched 'powerful and deadly' strikes against militants linked to the Islamic State group (IS) in north-western Nigeria, where militants have sought to establish a foothold, President Donald Trump said."
"Trump told Politico he ordered the 25 December strikes as 'a Christmas present' - contradicting a statement by Nigerian officials."
Comment: "Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC it was a 'joint operation' and had 'nothing to do with a particular religion'.
"Tuggar said the strikes had been planned 'for quite some time' using intelligence provided by Nigeria. He did not rule out further strikes."
"Referring to the timing of strikes - which took place late on Thursday - he said they did not have 'anything to do with Christmas'."
"But Trump told Politico otherwise in an interview."
" 'They were going to do it earlier,' Trump said of the airstrikes. 'And I said, 'nope, let's give a Christmas present.'' "
Comment: The Nigerians were clearly interested in stopping violence and terrorism from a militant group in their country and the surrounding region. However, they did not want to unnecessarily provoke conflict between the the two largest religious factions in Nigeria, Christianity and Islam. The vast majority of Muslims in Nigeria have nothing to do with ISIS and are not militant. The Nigerian government didn't want the U.S. strike to be perceived to be as an attack on Islam. Unfortunately, Trump couldn't resist the opportunity to tie the strike to Christmas, bolstering the perception that he was protecting Nigerian Christians from the Nigerian Muslims. In fact, most Nigerian Christians and Muslims are not in conflict over religion, and the Nigerian government wants to keep it that way.
Video: Nigerian foreign minister responds to US strikes - December 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u95-PjoAwRU
Trump to POLITICO: Zelenskyy ‘doesn’t have anything until I approve it’
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Friday cast himself as the ultimate arbiter of any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, in an exclusive conversation with POLITICO."
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet with Trump in Florida on Sunday and told reporters he’s bringing with him a new 20-point plan for peace. The framework includes a proposed demilitarized zone and the meeting is expected to focus on U.S. security guarantees."
"But in an interview, Trump appeared lukewarm to Zelenskyy’s latest overture and in no rush to endorse the Ukrainian president’s proposal."
" 'He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,' Trump said. 'So we’ll see what he’s got.' "
"The president’s comments underscore the degree to which Ukraine’s fate rests on convincing Trump that it is conceding enough to satisfy a president who, at times, has appeared inclined to lean toward Russia if it means an end to the war. Russia has moved very little from its maximalist position and has not reacted to the latest proposal. The U.S., meanwhile, has pushed Zelenskyy to move off his original demands and Trump has often seemed to lose patience with the haggling."
Comment: It's a shame that Trump isn't as tough on Putin as he is on Zelenskyy.
Into the void: how Trump killed international law
https://www.theguardian.com/law/ng-interactive/2025/dec/25/how-donald-trump-killed-international-law
Comment: "The rules-based global order, its institutions and value system face a crisis of legitimacy and credibility as the US turns away"
Comment: "No one can say they were not warned about the wrecking ball that was about to be inflicted on the global order by Donald Trump."
"The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, spelled out with admirable clarity in his Senate confirmation hearing in February how Trump disowned the world his predecessors had made. 'The postwar global order is not just obsolete, it is now a weapon being used against us,' he said. 'And all this has led us to a moment in which we must now confront the single greatest risk of geopolitical instability and generational global crisis in the lifetime of anyone alive here today.' ”
"The rules-based international order had to be jettisoned, Rubio said, because it had been built on a false assumption that a foreign policy serving core national interests could be replaced by one that served the 'liberal world order, that all the nations of earth would become members of the democratic western-led community', with humankind now destined to abandon national identity and become 'one human family and citizens of the world. This was not just a fantasy. We now know it was a dangerous delusion'.
Comment: Trump and Rubio's alternative: Survival of the fittest?
The shadow Russia casts over Europe has forced it to face the truth: the risk of war is once again real | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/25/europe/russia-europe-analysis-intl-cmd
Comment: Trump's attempt to appease Putin and undermine NATO is a major factor also. Europe can no longer rely on Trump to honor NATO treaty obligations.
Europe pushes back at Trump's 'authoritarian' sanctions on anti-disinformation figures
Comment: "European allies reacted with outrage Wednesday after the Trump administration sanctioned online safety campaigners accused of censoring 'American viewpoints'.”
"The five people Secretary of State Marco Rubio banned from entering the United States include a former top European Union official and four high-profile activists against hate speech and disinformation on social media."
"Rubio accused the five sanctioned figures of leading 'organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose.' ”
Comment: "It marks a dramatic escalation of Washington’s war on what it sees as censorship from across the Atlantic. Europe has previously seen Vice President JD Vance berate its leaders over perceived failures on free speech."
"For many on the continent and elsewhere, however, the move comes as an amplification of the Trump administration’s own crackdown on viewpoints that don’t align with its own."
"The pushback from Washington also comes after European attempts to regulate American tech giants such as the Elon Musk-owned platform X, which was fined 120 million euros (around $140 million) by the European Union earlier this month for 'breaching transparency obligations'."
Comment: "Macron called it 'intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.' "
Comment: "The European Commission warned that 'if needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures,' while European Council President António Costa said that 'such measures are unacceptable between allies, partners, and friends'."
Comment: Apparently, the Europeans are tired of the lies spewed by the Trump administration and Trump's minions. Many in America, at least the informed ones, are tired of the lies too.
Video: Ukraine’s Zelensky offers peace concessions – and puts the ball in Putin’s court - December 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJCC-69g3mg
Comment: Does anyone, besides Trump and Witkoff, still believe that Putin will offer any concessions in the so called "peace negotiations" in response to Zelensky's offer?
White House orders military to focus on 'quarantine' of Venezuela oil
Venezuela seeks to criminalize oil tanker seizures as Trump puts pressure on Maduro
Video: How recall of career diplomats fits into Trump's foreign policy shift - December 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wyVsd68Dv0
Trump administration removes dozens of career diplomats from overseas posts | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/22/politics/diplomats-removed-trump-state
Trump warns Maduro against playing ‘tough’ as US escalates pressure campaign on Venezuela
https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-tankers-shipbuilding-3c711c500a627243329807df42fa6ef8
You cannot annex other countries, Danish and Greenlandic leaders tell Trump
Greenland: Denmark ‘deeply upset’ by Trump’s appointment of envoy who wants island to be part of US | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/22/europe/denmark-greenland-trump-territorial-integrity-intl
President Trump says US needs Greenland for 'national security'
President Donald Trump is renewing calls to take Greenland, the massive island controlled by Denmark, adding that a special envoy he appointed to the Arctic island would 'lead the charge'."
" 'We need Greenland for national security,' Trump told reporters on Dec. 22, during an announcement that the U.S. would build a "new 'Golden Fleet' of 'Trump-class' battleships. 'You look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security. We have to have it.' "
"Trump's comments come on the heels of appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landryyry as the United States'special envoy to Greenland. Trump signaled he appointed Landry because 'he’s a deal-maker-type guy'."
"Denmark, which bristled at Trump's aims to take the island, summoned the U.S. ambassador in response to Landry’s appointment."
" 'Out of nowhere, there is now a special U.S. presidential representative, who, according to himself, is tasked with taking over Greenland. This is, of course, completely unacceptable,' Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told TV2."
Comment: If Trump tries to take Greenland militarily, he may need to worry about "national security." Denmark is a NATO country and if he attacks Greenland or threatens Denmark, that will be the end of NATO. While the end of NATO may please Trump and his friend Putin, it will have dire consequences for U.S. national security. It is unclear whether such an attack on Denmark or its territories would result in a military response against U.S. forces from one or more NATO treaty signatories.
No ‘confidence’ Ukraine and Russia will reach peace deal, Vance says
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/22/vance-russia-ukraine-war-00702823
Comment: "Vice President JD Vance gave a stark outlook on the reality of the Russia-Ukraine war, saying he doesn’t have 'confidence' there will be a peaceful solution to the gruesome conflict reaching its fourth year."
" 'We’re going to keep on trying to negotiate. And I think that we’ve made progress, but sitting here today, I wouldn’t say with confidence that we’re going to get to a peaceful resolution,' the vice president said in an UnHerd interview published Monday."
" 'I think there’s a good chance we will, I think there’s a good chance we won’t.' "
"The remark is one of the most pessimistic assessments of the peace prospects to date from a high-ranking U.S. official, far more sober than some others in the administration. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday he sees the solution being a 'ways off.' President Donald Trump and peace envoy Steve Witkoff — who has been leading the talks — have expressed more optimism."
Comment: Are Trump and Witkoff being optimistic or are they being unrealistic?
Sudden trips and security lapses: Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio's clashing diplomacy on Russia-Ukraine
Comment: "Apart from disagreements about peace efforts in Ukraine, Witkoff has been at loggerheads with Rubio and State Department officials about the way he handles security."
Comment: Exactly who is running foreign policy in the Trump administration?
Starlink in the crosshairs: How Russia could attack Elon Musk’s conquering of space
Comment: "Two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to target Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel, with the aim of reining in Western space superiority that has helped Ukraine on the battlefield."
"Intelligence findings seen by The Associated Press say the so-called “zone-effect” weapon would seek to flood Starlink orbits with hundreds of thousands of high-density pellets, potentially disabling multiple satellites at once but also risking catastrophic collateral damage to other orbiting systems."
AP News: Trump is leaning on son-in-law Jared Kushner for difficult diplomacy
Comment: "Now, nearly a year into Trump 2.0, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has been drawn back into the foreign policy fold and is taking a greater role in delicate peace negotiations. Talks had initially been led almost solo by special envoy Steve Witkoff, a real estate mogul who had no government experience before this year."
"The shift reflects a sense among Trump’s inner circle that Kushner, who has diplomatic experience, complements Witkoff’s negotiating style and can bridge seemingly intractable differences to close a deal, according to several current and former administration officials who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal deliberations."
Comment: Do you believe that Witkoff and Kushner are any match against experienced international negotiators and diplomats like those employed by the Russians and the Israelis?
Kremlin renews criticism of Europe’s efforts to amend US plan to end Ukraine war
Comment: "Russia has renewed its criticism of efforts by Europe and Ukraine to amend US proposals to end the war in Ukraine, saying they did not improve prospects for peace."
Comment: Is it any wonder? The US proposals ask Ukraine to make all concessions while the Russians make little or no effort to back off from any of their demands.
Comment: "US intelligence believes Putin remains intent on capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet Union, Reuters reported, citing six sources familiar with US intelligence. Last week Putin called Europe’s leaders 'little pigs' and said Russia would achieve its goals through diplomacy or force."
"However, Donald Trump’s lead negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are holding talks with Russia’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Miami in the belief that a peace deal may be close."
Comment: Perhaps Trump should start listening to US intelligence instead of his real estate buddy (Witkoff) and his son-in-law (Kushner).
Kremlin says peace prospects not improved by Europe, Ukraine changes to US proposals
Russia says talks on US peace plan for Ukraine 'are proceeding constructively'
Comment: "A Kremlin envoy says peace talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were pressing on 'constructively' in Florida."
Comment: "Dmitriev met with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami, the agency reported."
Comment: "Trump has unleashed an extensive diplomatic push to end the war, but his efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently signaled he is digging in on his maximalist demands on Ukraine, as Moscow's troops inch forward on the battlefield despite huge losses."
"On Friday, Putin expressed confidence that the Kremlin would achieve its military goals if Kyiv didn't agree to Russia's conditions in peace talks."
"European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide 90 billion euros ($106 billion) to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, although they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds. Instead, they were borrowed from capital markets."
Comment: Kushner and Witkoff have met with te Russians numerous times. Can anyone illustrate one concession that the Russians have made in their so called "peace" negotiations? The Russians appear to have no desire for a negotiated peace, unless it is entirely on their terms.
CNN: Israeli soldiers shot and killed a West Bank teen they say ‘hurled a block.’ Video shows them shooting him point blank
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/21/middleeast/israeli-soldiers-west-bank-teen-killed-latam-intl
Israel approves 19 new Jewish settlements in occupied West Bank
Comment: "Israel has approved a proposal for 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as the government pushes ahead with a construction binge in the territory that poses a further threat to the possibility of a Palestinian state."
"It brings the total number of new settlements over the past few years to 69, a new record, according to the far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who has pushed a settlement expansion agenda in the West Bank. The latest include two that were previously evacuated during a 2005 disengagement plan."
"The approval by the security cabinet increases the number of settlements in the West Bank by nearly 50% during the current government’s tenure. In 2022, there were 141 settlements across the West Bank. After the latest approval there are 210, according to Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group."
"Settlements are considered illegal under international law."
"The approval comes as the US pushes Israel and Hamas to move ahead with the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which took effect on 10 October. The US-brokered plan calls for a possible 'pathway' to a Palestinian state, something the settlements are aimed at preventing."
Comment: "Israel’s government is dominated by far-right proponents of the settler movement, including Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the security minister."
"Settler expansion has been compounded by a surge of attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank in recent months. During October’s olive harvest, settlers across the territory launched an average of eight attacks each day, the most since the UN humanitarian office began collecting data in 2006. The attacks continued in November, with the UN recording at least 136 more by 24 November."
"Settlers burned cars, desecrated mosques, ransacked industrial plants and destroyed cropland. Israeli authorities have done little beyond issuing occasional condemnations of the violence."
Comment: And we wonder why many Palestinians hate Netanyahu's Israeli government and don't trust the United States? How do you think moderate Arab governments in the region perceive our unwavering support for Netanyahu's right-wing government?
US seizes 3rd vessel near Venezuela as tensions rise | NewsNation Live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJWyB5-iS6o
Video: How Trump Is Unleashing His ‘America First’ Agenda on the World | WSJ - December 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfx0HsYdtAE
Comment: "Trump brushed aside the norms of international diplomacy when he targeted narcoterrorists in Venezuela, fought with European allies and bombed Iran. Trump has also played the role of peacemaker as a driving force behind the fragile Israel-Hamas peace plan and his efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine War. But have Trump’s moves actually made the U.S. any safer?"
"WSJ spoke with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations committee to learn about how Trump’s foreign policy moves have impacted the U.S. and the world."
Trump ousts more Biden-era ambassadors
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/19/trump-ousts-more-biden-era-ambassadors-00700351
Comment: "The Trump administration is recalling a number of career ambassadors appointed by former President Joe Biden, according to a State Department official familiar with the situation and the head of the diplomats’ union."
Comment: "Around two dozen ambassadors are being told to leave their posts, the State Department official said, having been granted anonymity because the topic involves personnel issues. Dinkelman said he did not have complete information on how many were being recalled."
"The move is the latest major shake-up of the diplomatic ranks under President Donald Trump. It is particularly unusual because it involves envoys who hail from the career Foreign Service."
"While it is normal for new presidents to replace political appointees serving as ambassadors, career diplomats are typically allowed to continue serving because it is understood that, by virtue of being in the Foreign Service, they will carry out the wishes of whoever is in the White House regardless of political party."
"But the Trump administration has had little trust in the career ranks at the State Department. Its officials have called the State Department a bastion of liberalism, and the administration has already pushed out thousands of department employees."
Kremlin's military goals in Ukraine will be met, Putin says at annual news conference
Comment: "President Vladimir Putin emphasized Friday that Moscow's troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn't agree to Russia's conditions in peace talks."
Putin tells news conference that Kremlin's military goals will be achieved in Ukraine
America's new top health diplomat has strong opinions on abortion and gender
Witkoff to host new Gaza talks as Israel-Hamas ceasefire appears stalled
Rubio hits 2 more International Criminal Court judges with sanctions over Israel prosecutions
https://apnews.com/article/icc-us-israel-sanctions-war-crimes-rubio-549f7dee5e8c8a293333c83f63de2ff3
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed sanctions on two more International Criminal Court judges over their role in investigating Israeli officials for possible war crimes during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza."
Comment: "The two are the latest in a series of ICC judges and staffers to have been targeted by the Trump administration for approving or advancing criminal complaints about Israel and the United States, which aren’t members of the court. The Republican administration had previously imposed sanctions on the former ICC chief prosecutor and nine judicial and support staff members, including lawyers and investigators."
" 'The ICC has continued to engage in politicized actions targeting Israel, which set a dangerous precedent for all nations,' Rubio said in a statement. 'We will not tolerate ICC abuses of power that violate the sovereignty of the United States and Israel and wrongly subject U.S. and Israeli persons to the ICC’s jurisdiction.' ”
Comment: Does the U.S. unwavering support for Israel, no matter what actions it has taken in Gaza, hurt our reputation around the world?
Video: Trump escalates Maduro confrontation with blockade on Venezuelan oil tankers - December 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqyXbW7sbU8
EU leaders prepare to take unprecedented steps to help Ukraine at a high-stakes summit
Russia trying to overwhelm Europe with its sabotage campaign, Western officials say
Comment: "The sabotage in Poland is one of 145 incidents in an Associated Press database that Western officials say are part of a campaign of disruption across Europe masterminded by Russia. Officials say the campaign — waged since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — aims to deprive kyiv of support, create divisions among Europeans and identify the continent's security weak spots."
"So far in this hybrid war, most known acts of sabotage have resulted in minimal damage — nothing compared to the tens of thousands of lives lost and cities decimated across Ukraine."
"But officials say each act — from vandalism of monuments to cyberattacks to warehouse fires — sucks up valuable security resources. The head of one large European intelligence service said investigations into Russian interference now swallow up as much of the agency’s time as terrorism."
Video: Putin wants to 'subjugate Ukraine and harass NATO,' UK's MI6 spy chief says - December 15, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntG__-h3Vz4
Comment: "President Vladimir Putin is stalling efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, and is testing the West with tactics that fall 'just below the threshold of war,' the head of Britain’s MI6 spy agency said on Monday."
Hamas says Israel's killing of senior commander threatens ceasefire
The New York Times: Israel Says It Killed Senior Hamas Commander, Despite Cease-Fire
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/13/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-commander-gaza-strike.html
Israel says its military killed Hamas commander Raed Saed in Gaza City strike
CNN: Israel approves 19 settler outposts in major expansion in occupied West Bank
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/13/middleeast/israel-expansion-settlements-legalizes-outposts-latam-intl
You and me against the world: who was behind Trump’s anti-Europe foreign policy?
Comment: "How do you create a foreign policy manifesto for a US president who leads from the gut?"
"The initial draft fell to Michael Anton, a Maga firebrand whom officials have called the lead author behind the US’s radical new national security strategy (NSS). The document shocked US allies, warning that immigration to Europe would cause 'civilizational erasure', reviving the Monroe doctrine in the western hemisphere, and downgrading the US’s responsibility for great power competition with China and Russia."
"Anton, the former director of policy planning at the state department, had previously gained widespread attention in 2016 when he compared the impending elections to a hijacked airliner in which conservatives must radically shake up US politics and reject the pro-immigration stances that were the 'mark of a party, a society, a country, a people, a civilization that wants to die'."
Comment: "It is no surprise, then, that the recent NSS, usually a ponderous document weighed down by carefully measured bureaucratic-speak, landed like a bombshell. While it survived a tortured bureaucratic process from the state department to Trump’s senior advisers and was released to little fanfare last week, some of the recommendations were radical enough to cause European leaders to say that the US’s Euroscepticism had now become 'official doctrine'."
" 'I think what’s clear is that Maga is trying to be a revolutionary movement,' said Max Bergmann, the director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'It’s trying to completely upend postwar US foreign policy and and really change the direction of the country.' "
"The thinking pushed against decades of bipartisan foreign policy orthodoxythat saw European institutions, including Nato and the European Union, as allies in a great power competition with authoritarian countries like Russia and China. The new document sees the greatest threat coming from immigration – and suggests that the US should court illiberal allies in Europe."
Kim Jong-un admits North Korean troops clearing landmines for Russia
Comment: "North Korea sent troops to clear mines in Russia’s Kursk region earlier this year, leader Kim Jong-un said in a speech carried on Saturday by state media, a rare acknowledgement by Pyongyang of the deadly tasks assigned to its deployed soldiers."
"According to South Korean and western intelligence agencies, North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine."
"Analysts say Russia is giving North Korea financial aid, military technology, food and energy supplies in return, allowing the diplomatically isolated nation to sidestep tough international sanctions on its nuclear and missile programmes."
Fighting rages on Thai-Cambodian border despite Trump's ceasefire claim
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thailand-cambodia-border-fighting-trump-ceasefire-claim/
Comment: Fighting raged Saturday morning along the border of Thailand and Cambodia, even after U.S. President Trump, acting as a mediator, declared that he had won agreement from both countries for a ceasefire."
"Thai officials have said they did not agree to a ceasefire, and Cambodia has not commented on Mr. Trump's claim. Its defense ministry instead said Thai jets carried out airstrikes Saturday morning. Cambodian media reported Mr. Trump's claim without elaborating."
"Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Saturday that some of Mr. Trump's remarks didn't 'reflect an accurate understanding of the situation.' "
" 'We regret and we're disappointed that some of the points made by President Trump have bearing upon the feeling of the Thai people, Thailand, because we consider ourselves — we are proud, in fact — to be the oldest treaty ally of the United States in the region,' he said."
Comment: This is one of several conflicts that Trump has CLAIMED to have ended or mitigated.
Trump touts his peace deals - but many are already unraveling
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/12/nx-s1-5638509/trump-peace-deals
Comment: "President Trump has made it well known that he is coveting the Nobel Peace prize, and rarely passes up the opportunity to say he has solved eight conflicts around the world in eight months."
"But despite the efforts, the results have been mixed: some outcomes are precarious, and the president's role in brokering a deal is disputed. Others have simply unraveled."
US accuses Rwanda of fueling war as fighting in eastern DR Congo intensifies despite Trump-brokered peace deal | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/12/africa/trump-rwanda-war-drc-m23-latam-intl
From Chips to Security, China Is Getting Much of What It Wants From the U.S.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/world/asia/nvidia-china-trump-security-japan.html
Comment: "In its rivalry with the United States, China has racked up a series of wins in recent weeks."
"The Trump administration has softened its criticism of China’s Communist Party in a strategy document. It has reopened a channel for high-end chip sales that Washington once treated as untouchable. And President Trump has held his tongue as a key U.S. ally in Asia faces Chinese intimidation for backing Taiwan."
"For Beijing, the shifts in Washington’s approach suggest that Mr. Trump has less of an appetite for confronting China over ideology, technology and diplomacy. Some commentators in China have hailed these developments as irrefutable signs of American decline and Chinese ascendancy."
White House says US intends to keep seized tanker's oil, hits Maduro family with new sanctions
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-us-intends-seized-tankers-oil-hits/story?id=128314496
Comment: Video is also included with article.
Canada launches $1.2 billion push to attract talent, as U.S. charges $100,000 fee for H-1B visas
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-push-attract-talent-us-100000-fee-h-1b-visas/
Comment: Canada has launched a $1.2 billion initiative aimed at drawing leading researchers to the country, as the U.S. intensifies restrictions on highly skilled workers by charging $100,000 for H-1B visas.
"The Canadian government announced on Tuesday that its investment over 12 years will be used to recruit and support over 1,000 individuals advancing world-leading research in critical fields, including doctors and scientists."
" 'As other countries constrain academic freedoms and undermine cutting-edge research, Canada is investing in – and doubling down on – science,' Melanie Joly, Canada's industry minister, said in a statement. 'Today's investment is about securing Canada's place at the forefront of discovery and innovation and leveraging our strength in science to support our future well-being and prosperity for generations to come.' "
Comment: While Trump is discouraging these scientists, experts, and researchers, Canada realizes that these innovators will drive economic prosperity in the future. At least, for us, Canada is a better home for these talented people than China.
Trump's new cold war with Europe
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/10/trump-europe-x-fine-ukraine-cold-war
Comment: "The Trump administration is engaged in open hostilities with the European Union, turning long-simmering feuds over free speech, Ukraine and mass migration into official U.S. policy."
"The EU's $140 million fine of Elon Musk's X platform lit the fuse on a conflict the Trump administration was already primed for — and which it formalized in a new National Security Strategy that casts Europe as a geopolitical villain."
Comment: Note that Putin expressed his support for the new U.S. National Security Strategy Document. What does that tell you?
U.S. seizes oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, escalating tensions
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-seized-oil-tanker-off-the-coast-of-venezuela-trump-says/
Trump lacks support or logistics for Venezuela ground invasion
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/10/trump-military-invasion-venezuela-00683836
Trump doesn't rule out troops in Venezuela, says President Nicolás Maduro's 'days are numbered'
Trump trade rep changes China soybean purchase timeline, cites ‘discrepancy’
Comment: "U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday that the deadline for China to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans from American farmers was not the end of December as the White House has said, but the end of the 'growing season'."
"Greer’s comment at the hearing came on the heels of a report by NBC News showing that the pace of China's purchases of soybeans in recent weeks was well short of reaching the agreed amount by the end of the calendar year."
Comment: This is just another example of the chaos and confusion associated with the Trump administration's tariffs and trade negotiations. This "discrepancy" will delay Chinese soybean purchases and will hurt soybean farmers even more. It will also hurt the American taxpayer, since the Trump administration is having to pay out a $12B bailout to help farmers survive the disastrous impacts caused by his tariffs.
U.S. strategy shows need for more European security independence, German chancellor says
Comment: "German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Trump administration’s new national security strategy underscored the need for Europe to become 'much more independent' from the U.S. in terms of security policy."
"Merz also pushed back against the notion that European democracy needed saving."
"The U.S. strategy, published on Friday, paints European allies as weak, while offering tacit support to far-right political parties, and was critical of European free speech and migration policy."
"Speaking on Monday, European Council president Antonio Costa warned the U.S. against interfering in Europe's affairs and said only European citizens could decide which parties should govern them."
"Merz, the leader of the European Union's most populous nation and its biggest economy, said he was not surprised by the substance of the strategy as it was largely in line with a lecture Vice President JD Vance gave to European allies in Munich in February."
"Parts of the document were understandable, but 'some of it is unacceptable for us from the European point of view,' he told reporters in the western German city of Mainz."
" 'That the Americans want to save democracy in Europe now, I don’t see any need for that,' Merz said. 'If it needed to be saved, we would manage that alone.' "
"He added that the new U.S. document 'confirms my assessment that we in Europe, and so also in Germany, must become much more independent from the U.S. in terms of security policy. This is not a surprise, but it has now been confirmed again. It has been documented.' "
Trump's frustration with Ukraine and Europe boils over
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s pursuit of an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine is increasingly being driven by his own impatience — with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders who Trump believes are standing in the way of both peace and future economic cooperation between Washington and Moscow."
"Trump, who has called for Russia’s return to the G7 and spoken repeatedly about his eagerness to bring Russia back into the economic fold, laid bare his frustrations Monday at the White House with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for a special episode of 'The Converstaion.' He derided European leaders as talkers who 'don’t produce' and declared that Zelenskyy has 'to play ball' given that, in his view, 'Russia has the upper hand.' "
Comment "Trump’s mounting pressure on Ukraine makes clear that months of careful management of the president through private texts, public flattery and general deference has gotten Europe very little."
"But Liana Fix, a senior fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that the leaders on the other side of the Atlantic 'know very well that they can’t just stand up to Trump and tell him courageously that, you know, this is not how you treat Europe, because [of] the existential dependence that is still there between Europe and the United States.' "
"Still, some in Europe continue to express shock and revulsion over Trump’s lopsided diplomacy in favor of Russia, disputing the president’s assessment during his POLITICO interview that Putin’s army has the upper hand despite its slow advance across the Donbas, more than half of which is now in Russian control."
" 'Our view is not that Ukraine is losing. If Russia was so powerful they would have been able to finish the war within 24 hours,' a third European diplomat said. 'If you think that Russia is winning, what does that mean — you give them everything? That’s not a sustainable peace. You’ll reward the Russians for their aggression and they will look for more – not only in Ukraine but also in Europe.' "
"Trump has refused to approve additional defense aid to Ukraine, while blasting his predecessor for sending billions in aid — approved by Democrats and many Republicans in Congress — to help the country defend itself following Russia’s Feb. 2022 invasion."
"Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, said Trump’s brief that Russia is prevailing on the battlefield doesn’t match the reality."
" 'Russia has not achieved its strategic objectives in Ukraine. It has completely failed in its initial objective to take Kyiv and subjugate the country, and it has even failed in its more limited objective in taking all of the Donbas and neutering Ukraine from a security perspective,' Sullivan said, adding that he thinks Ukraine could prevail militarily with stronger U.S. support."
As Trump states Ukraine is losing the war with Russia, officials say the battlefield situation hasn’t changed significantly | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/09/politics/ukraine-russia-battlefield-situation-trump
Video: Donald Trump tells Ukraine it’s losing war with Russia and must accept peace deal | BBC News - December 09, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwL2ooeUsR8
Trump thrashes European leaders in wide-ranging interview: ‘I think they’re weak’
Comment: "President Donald Trump denounced Europe as a 'decaying' group of nations led by 'weak' people in an interview with POLITICO, belittling the traditional U.S. allies for failing to control migration and end the Russia-Ukraine war, and signaling that he would endorse European political candidates aligned with his own vision for the continent."
"The broadside attack against European political leadership represents the president’s most virulent denunciation to date of these Western democracies, threatening a decisive rupture with countries like France and Germany that already have deeply strained relations with the Trump administration."
" 'I think they’re weak,' Trump said of Europe’s political leaders. 'But I also think that they want to be so politically correct.' "
" 'I think they don’t know what to do,' he added. 'Europe doesn’t know what to do.' "
"Trump matched that blunt, even abrasive, candor on European affairs with a sequence of stark pronouncements on matters closer to home: He said he would make support for immediately slashing interest rates a litmus test in his choice of a new Federal Reserve chair. He said he could extend anti-drug military operations to Mexico and Colombia. And Trump urged conservative Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, both in their 70s, to stay on the bench."
Comment: Is this how you feel about our European allies? How do you feel about Trump cozying up to Putin and undermining NATO?
Comment: Trump says "he would endorse political candidates aligned with his own vision for the continent." How would you feel about European leaders meddling in U.S. elections? If you wouldn't like it, think about how Europeans will respond to Trump's threats to meddle in their elections.
Hamas calls for more international pressure on Israel before ceasefire’s next phase
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-ceasefire-f0d1b03f7be9c0358325b5e506f3ed8e
Comment: "Hamas on Tuesday called for more international pressure on Israel before the militant group moves forward with the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, with a Hamas leader saying it wants Israel to open a key border crossing, cease deadly strikes and allow more aid into the strip devasted by the two-year war."
"The demand came as Israel’s government says it is ready to move into the next and more complicated phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point ceasefire agreement, while calling on Hamas to return the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza as envisioned in the deal."
"Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’ political wing, called for the 'full implementation of all the terms of the first phase' before moving forward, including an end to what he called the continuing demolition of Palestinian homes in the majority of the territory still controlled by Israel."
"Israeli airstrikes and shootings in Gaza have killed at least 376 Palestinians since the ceasefire took hold on Oct. 10, according to Palestinian health officials."
"Badran said it was not possible to enter the second phase of the ceasefire unless the steps he demanded were taken — remarks that reflect a hardening of tone from Hamas."
"However, the group has little leverage in ceasefire negotiations and could come under heavy pressure from regional powers like Qatar and Turkey to not hit the brakes on the fragile truce."
"Israel has also accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire and says its recent strikes in Gaza are in retaliation for militant attacks against its sodiers, and that its troops have fired on Palestinians who approached the 'Yellow Line' — a vague line between Israeli-controlled territory and the rest of Gaza."
"It says those killed were suspected militants who posed a threat to troops, but it appears at least some were civilians who ventured too close to the line, and those killed have included women and children."
Video: ‘Will not lay down weapons’: Hamas continues violating Trump’s peace plan - December 8, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_4S5WSpv5I
Trump’s new strategy marks the unraveling of the Western alliance
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-national-security-strategy-europe/
Comment: "The world’s despots have much to celebrate, while democrats have plenty to be anxious about — especially in Europe."
Comment: " 'It must be a policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure,' said former U.S. President Harry Truman during a speech to Congress in 1947. The Truman Doctrine, as this approach became known, saw the defense of democracy abroad as of vital interest to the U.S. — but that’s not a view shared by President Donald Trump and his acolytes."
"If anyone had any doubts about this — or harbored any lingering hopes that Vice President JD Vance was speaking out of turn when he launched a blistering attack on Europe at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year — then Washington’s new National Security Strategy (NSS) should settle the matter."
"All U.S. presidents release such a strategy early in their terms to outline their foreign policy thinking and priorities, which in turn shapes how the Pentagon’s budget is allocated. And with all 33 pages of this NSS, the world’s despots have much to celebrate, while democrats have plenty to be anxious about — especially in Europe."
"Fleshing out what the Trump administration means by 'America First,' the new security strategy represents an emphatic break with Truman and the post-1945 order shaped by successive U.S. presidents. It is all about gaining a mercantilist advantage, and its guiding principle is might is right."
"Moving forward, Trump’s foreign policy won’t be 'grounded in traditional, political ideology' but guided by 'what works for America.' And apparently what works for America is to go easy on autocrats, whether theocratic or secular, and to turn on traditional allies in a startling familial betrayal."
"Of course, the hostility this NSS displays toward Europe shouldn’t come as a surprise — Trump’s top aides have barely disguised their contempt for the EU, while the president has said he believes the bloc was formed to 'screw' the U.S. But that doesn't dull the string."
Comment: This is an opinion from Europe regarding the Trump administration's new National Security Strategy (NSS). Based on this new strategy statement, many in Europe privately fears that Trump is undermining NATO and will not live up to NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause in the future.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine won’t cede territory to Russia
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/zelenskyy-ukraine-territory-russia-00681497
European leaders rally behind Ukraine in Downing Street talks
Comment: "European leaders rallied behind Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday night amid hopes they could finally achieve a breakthrough to allow Ukraine access to billions of pounds of frozen Russian assets."
"Despite vociferous support for the Ukrainian president, who has come under heavy pressure from Donald Trump to cede territory in order to bring the war to a speedy end, there was still no agreement on the thorny question of turning immobilised assets into a loan for Kyiv."
"But Downing Street said 'positive progress' was made on the issue during crisis talks hosted in Downing Street with Zelenskyy, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz."
"They were joined on a call by the leaders of seven other European countries, a senior representative from Turkey, and Nato and EU chiefs. During the meeting, leaders 'underscored the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine' including 'robust security guarantees' against further Russian aggression, Downing Street said."
"The leaders agreed that 'now is a critical moment' for Ukraine and vowed to ramp up support for Kyiv and increase economic pressure on Moscow 'to bring an end to this barbaric war'."
"The European show of support came after sharp criticism from Trump, who said he was 'a little disappointed' in Zelenskyy, claiming he had not read the US proposal for a peace deal. He insisted without evidence that 'his [Ukrainian] people love it' and that Vladimir Putin was 'fine with it'."
European leaders walk tightrope between backing Ukraine and keeping US on board
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r3v5mmyp8o
Ukraine's Zelenskyy seeks European solidarity as Trump accuses him of not reading peace proposal
Comment: "Ukraine's president was likely to look for a strong show of support from his European partners on Monday after being admonished by President Trump, who accused him of not reading a White House-authored proposal to end Russia's ongoing war on his country."
"Speaking Sunday evening to reporters on the red carpet before the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, Mr. Trump said he was disappointed in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's response to the plan to end the nearly-four-year Russian invasion, while claiming Russia had backed the proposal."
" 'I'm a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn't yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago,' Mr. Trump said, adding: 'His people love it. But he hasn't — Russia's fine with it. Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I'm not sure that Zelenskyy's fine with it.' "
"That assessment by Mr. Trump came despite a top Kremlin official telling journalists after talks last week in Moscow, between senior White House envoys and Vladimir Putin and his top aides, that they were, 'no closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine'.'
"Mr. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff then held meetings over the weekend in Florida with Ukrainian representatives. They said in a joint statement that 'both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia's readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings.' "
Comment: It sounds like Zelenskyy is seeking some sanity from his European partners in response to Trump's accusations. It is obvious to everyone that Trump is completely ignorant regarding negotiation of his so called "peace plan." Regarding the plan, Trump claims that "Russia's fine with it," while a Russian official is saying "that they were 'no closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine'."
Comment: Putin appears unwilling to seriously negotiate unless he is given everything he wants. Even Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff questioned "Russia's readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings." How can Zelenskyy be expected to negotiate the future sovereignty of his country while Trump is making such ridiculous accusations, based on his ignorance of the situation?
Video: Canadians need to ‘be prepared’ to face new security measures at U.S. border: immigration expert - December 07, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coP35COOMSE
Comment: Tourism from Canada is already suffering. Do you think these additional requirements will help?
Kremlin hails Trump’s national security strategy as aligned with Russia’s vision
Comment: "The Kremlin has heaped praise on Donald Trump’s latest national security strategy, calling it an encouraging change of policy that largely aligns with Russian thinking."
"The remarks follow the publication of a White House document on Friday that criticises the EU and says Europe is at risk of 'civilisational erasure', while making clear the US is keen to establish better relations with Russia."
" 'The adjustments that we see correspond in many ways to our vision,' the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Sunday. He welcomed signals that the Trump administration was 'in favour of dialogue and building good relations'. He warned, however, that the supposed US 'deep state' could try to sabotage Trump’s vision."
Comment: Does Putin's praise for Trump's vision make you feel safer?
Trump’s son suggests president may walk away from Ukraine
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/07/donald-trump-jr-ukraine-qatar-00679809
Comment: Just more indication that Trump will sacrifice Ukraine, and perhaps Europe, to appease Putin.
Comment: And why is Don Jr. commenting on U.S. foreign policy at "a major gathering of government officials and other international players" in the Middle East?
Inside Trump’s small national security team
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/07/the-small-team-running-trumps-foreign-policy-00679802
Comment: "President Donald Trump has entrusted only a handful of his closest advisers to tackle his most important foreign policy priorities from Russia to the Middle East. Even as their portfolio expands – now including a possible strike on Venezuela – the group remains small."
"It’s a mark of the president’s unyielding belief in his inner circle made up of old friends, family and confidants, and underscores his deep distrust of the broader national security and State Department apparatus that has served as the backbone of foreign relations for decades."
"The unusually small group includes Trump’s long-time real estate friend Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and chief of staff Susie Wiles."
"It was Witkoff who petitioned Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, to help negotiate an Israel-Hamas peace deal in part because of his role in shaping the Abraham Accords during Trump’s first term, according to a White House official who like others in this story was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy."
Comment: "Trump calls this close coterie on a whim, meetings occur on an ad hoc basis and decisions are made fast, the first White House official said."
" 'It all is just up to the president' on which principal does what, the official added."
"There’s little hierarchy, other than Trump at the top, and no restrictions on who gets access to the president."
" 'Trump wants peace deals and he wants the credit,' said one former administration official granted anonymity to discuss the dynamic. 'The details he’s less worried about.' "
"Still, it has appeared at times that Trump’s team isn’t always on the same page, there has been no breakthrough with Russia, and there is growing fear that a conflict in Venezuela could spiral beyond the administration’s control."
Comment: By excluding experienced diplomats and national security experts and replacing them with a small group of political hacks, real estate buddies, and son-in-laws, Trump is playing right into Russia's hands, undermining our long-term military alliances, upsetting our important trading partners, and may be about to unnecessary get us into a quagmire in the jungles of Venezuela.
Comment: Please read about Trump's new National Security Strategy and Hegseth's new military strategy (related) in articles dated Dec. 5, 6 & 7. The articles are under the topic of "More Outrages from the GOP" because they are truly dangerous and outrageous. These strategies are the result of the small, unqualified, national security team described in this article.
Video: US threatens withdrawal from NATO if Europe doesn't take defense lead by 2027 • FRANCE 24 English - December 06, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ8rjctWzCQ
Chernobyl radiation shield 'lost safety function' after drone strike, UN watchdog says
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98nldr06l2o
Comment: "A protective shield covering the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine can no longer provide its main containment function following a drone strike earlier this year, according to a UN watchdog."
"International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors found that the massive structure, built over the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster, had lost its 'primary safety functions including the confinement capability'."
"In February, Ukraine accused Russia of targeting the power plant - a claim the Kremlin denied."
"The IAEA said repairs were 'essential' to 'prevent further degradation' of the nuclear shelter. However environmental expert Jim Smith told the BBC: 'It is not something to panic about.' "
Chernobyl protective shield can no longer confine radiation after drone strike, UN nuclear watchdog says
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/06/europe/chernobyl-drone-strike-radiation-latam-intl
Gaza ceasefire talks in "critical moment" as second phase in deal yet to begin
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gaza-ceasefire-talks-critical-moment-second-phase-israel-hamas/
Comment: "Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told an international conference in the Qatari capital that international mediators, led by the U.S., are working 'to force the way forward' to the second phase to cement the deal."
" 'What we have just done is a pause,' he told the Doha Forum. 'We cannot consider it yet a ceasefire.' "
" 'A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out, which is not the case today,' he said."
"While the ceasefire halted the heavy fighting of the two-year war, Gaza health officials say that over 360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce took effect in October."
Comment: "The first phase of U.S. President Trump's 20-point peace plan took effect Oct. 10. The fighting stopped and dozens of hostages held in Gaza were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Israel sent a delegation last week to Egypt for talks on returning the remains of the last hostage."
"The next phase, which includes the deployment of an international security force in Gaza, formation of a new technocratic government for the territory, disarmament of Hamas and an eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, has not yet begun."
"Arab and Western officials told The Associated Press on Friday that an international body overseeing the ceasefire, to be led by Trump himself, is expected to be appointed by the end of the year. In the long term, the plan also calls for a possible 'pathway' to Palestinian independence."
"Sheikh Mohammed said that even the upcoming phase should be 'temporary' and that peace in the region could only take place with the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state — something that is opposed by Israel's government and most Israelis."
" 'If we are just resolving what happened in Gaza, the catastrophe that happened in the last two years, it's not enough,' he said. 'There is a root for this conflict. And this conflict is not only about Gaza.' "
"He added: 'It's about Gaza. It's about the West Bank. It's about the rights of the Palestinians for their state. We are hoping that we can work together with the U.S. administration to achieve this vision at the end of the day.' "
"Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said there is a 'big question' over the formation of an international security force for Gaza. Speaking at the same conference, he said it's unclear which countries will be joining the force, what the command structure would look like and what its 'first mission' will be."
"Turkey is one of the 'guarantors' of the ceasefire, but Israel, which has rocky relations with the Ankara government, has rejected any Turkish participation in the force."
Comment: In summary, the real work begins now, if the "second phase" has any chance of success.
Putin says there are points in the U.S. proposal on Ukraine war that he can’t agree with
Comment: "Russian President Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin, indicating in comments published Thursday that any deal is still some ways off."
"U.S. President Donald Trump has set in motion the most intense diplomatic push to stop the fighting since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of its neighbor nearly four years ago. But the effort has once again run into demands that are hard to reconcile, especially over whether Ukraine must give up land to Russia and how it can be kept safe from any future aggression by Moscow."
Comment: Putin doesn't want peace unless it is completely on his terms. The Ukranians know this. The Europeans know this. Only the Trump administration is fooled by Putin's stalling actions to an attempt to avoid additional U.S. sanctions and weapon shipments/intelligence sharing to Ukraine.
Trump administration changes have left US diplomats demoralized and less able to do their jobs, report says
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/03/politics/state-department-low-morale
Jared Kushner’s unconventional role in peace negotiations | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/03/politics/video/jared-kusher-peace-negotiations-role-digvid-vrtc
Kremlin signals no Ukraine breakthrough after Putin talks with US
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyv0ex7v8ro
Comment: "Five hours of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's senior negotiator appear to have failed to produce a breakthrough on securing a Ukraine peace deal."
"A Kremlin spokesman said the Moscow meeting was 'constructive', but parts of the plan remained unacceptable to Russia."
"Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner attended the talks after weeks of intensive diplomacy aimed at ending the war. The US team has not commented since leaving Moscow."
"Earlier on Tuesday, Putin said changes proposed by Kyiv and Europe to a US-backed draft peace plan were unacceptable, adding if Europe 'wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now'."
Comment: And Putin is the man that Trump wants to deal with? Is he serious?
Scoop: Netanyahu asked Trump for more help in pardon push
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/02/netanyahu-pardon-trump-call
Comment: "During a long phone call on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Trump for more support in his push for a pardon from Israel's president, two U.S. officials and one Israeli official said."
Comment: "In a conversation that largely focused on Gaza and Syria, the leaders also discussed Netanyahu's ongoing corruption trial. Trump has repeatedly intervened in Israel's judicial process and domestic politics to push for an end to those proceedings."
"Last month, Trump sent an official letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog denouncing the charges against Netanyahu as 'political lawfare' and calling on Herzog to issue a pardon."
Comment: Why is Donald Trump inserting himself into an internal Israeli legal and political issue? Israeli is a sovereign country and its citizens and judicial system should decide whether Netanyahu broke its laws. Netanyahu is not popular with a large segment of the Israeli population.
CNN: Trump to hold Venezuela Oval Office meeting amid growing questions about his military moves
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/01/politics/trump-venezuela-meeting
Analysis: Trump's threats bring war with Venezuela closer as contradictions and legal fears mount
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/01/politics/trump-venezuela-threats-pressure
In Announcing Pardon of Drug Trafficker While Threatening Venezuela, Trump Displays Contradictions
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/us/politics/trump-honduras-venezuela.html
The week Europe realised it stands alone against Russian expansionism
Comment: "Washington’s Putin-appeasing plan for peace in Ukraine has failed, but many heard death knell sounded for European reliance on US protection"
Comment: This is an important perspective from our NATO allies. Please read the entire linked article.
Zelensky's chief of staff resigns amid corruption probe
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/28/zelensky-chief-staff-yermak-resign-scandal-corruption
Comment: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak resigned on Friday, several hours after investigators from the anti-corruption agency raided his house."
Comment: "This is a political earthquake in the war-torn country and comes amid frantic diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration to push a peace deal to end the war."
"Yermak was the most powerful political figure in Ukraine after Zelensky, with influence over domestic politics, military issues and foreign policy."
" 'This is the perfect storm. There is a lot of uncertainty right now,' a Ukrainian official said."
"Two Ukrainian officials said Yermak's resignation came a day before he was supposed to travel to Miami for talks with President Trump's team about the peace plan."
Comment: "Yermak has been at the center of a major corruption scandal that hit the Zelensky administration with allegations of embezzlement from the energy sector."
"Members of the opposition demanded Yermak's resignation, though he has not been named in the accusations. Zelensky backed Yermak for several weeks and rejected calls to fire him."
"A U.S. official told Axios last week that the scandal could weaken Ukraine's negotiating position with Russia."
"In an interview with Axios on Tuesday, Yermak gave an impassioned defense of Zelensky's anti-corruption record and said it was important that these investigations continue but not 'be politicized.' He said his focus was on ending the war."
Russia ready to 'fight to the last Ukrainian,' Putin says amid US peace drive
Comment: "In a series of hardline statements -- his most extensive comments on the latest U.S.-proposed peace plan to date -- Putin repeated some of Russia's most hardline demands, including that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from territory Moscow claims. Putin ruled out signing any ceasefire deal before Ukrainian troops withdraw."
" 'If Ukraine's troops leave the territory occupied, then military action will stop. If they won't leave then we will achieve that by armed force,' Putin said."
"He also said recognition of Russia's occupation of Crimea, Donbas and a swath of eastern and southern Ukraine must be part of negotiations with the U.S."
"Putin projected confidence about Russia's battlefield position, claiming there was a 'positive dynamic' everywhere on the front. The president said Russia was 'ready in principle' to 'fight to the last Ukrainian.' "
Comment: Given Putin's statements, do you think he has any interest in "peace," except on his terms only?
Comment: Do you think Trump will ever realize the situation with Putin? Do you think Trump cares about Ukrainian sovereignty at all?
Israeli soldiers appear to kill Palestinian men in West Bank after they surrender
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/27/israeli-soldiers-kill-palestinian-men-west-bank-00670639
Comment: "Israeli soldiers on Thursday appeared to kill a pair of Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank after they had surrendered to troops, drawing Palestinian accusations that the men were executed 'in cold blood.' The Israeli military said it was investigating."
"The killings, captured in a pair of videos shown on two Arab TV stations, came as Israel pressed ahead with its latest offensive in the West Bank, where the army has stepped up its activities over the past two years. Israel says it is cracking down on militants, but Palestinians and rights groups accuse Israel of using excessive force and say dozens of unarmed civilians have been killed."
Comment: When Israeli atrocities in the West Bank occur, it adversely impacts public opinion of the United States in Arab and Muslim countries. We supply weapons and military aid to the Israeli government.
South Africa hits back after Trump says US won't invite it for G20 next year
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8dq47j5y8o
Comment: Response from South Africa seems reasonable and diplomatic, given Trump's recent rant against the South Africans.
Trump says he’s barring South Africa from participating in next year’s G20 summit
Comment: "Trump chose not to have an American delegation attend the recent summit hosted by South Africa, saying he did so because white Afrikaners were being violently persecuted. It is a claim that South Africa, which was mired for decades in racial apartheid, has rejected as baseless."
"The Republican president, in a social media post, said South Africa had refused to hand over its G20 hosting responsibilities to a senior representative of the U.S. Embassy when the summit ended over the weekend."
" 'Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year,” Trump posted on Truth Social."
" 'South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere,' he said, 'and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.' "
Comment: Please look at the sequence of events described above. Who do you think is not "worthy of Membership anywhere?" (Not speaking of a county, but speaking about a leader, instead.)
Comment: Is the undiplomatic Trump the man you want handing foreign policy?
No real intent in Moscow to engage in peace talks, says von der Leyen
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c208wjpv4r9o
Comment: "European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has described the situation surrounding the war in Ukraine as 'volatile' and 'dangerous' and accused Russia of having no 'real intent' of engaging in peace talks."
"Her comments came shortly before Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was 'premature' to speak about striking a peace deal."
"Von der Leyen said Ukraine would need strong security guarantees capable of deterring any further attacks, arguing that Russia still upheld a post-World War Two mindset and saw the European continent as a 'sphere of influence'."
"She was addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg as the US ramped up efforts to mediate a deal between Kyiv and Moscow."
"Talks this week in Geneva and then Abu Dhabi have resulted in Ukraine agreeing to the 'essence' of a peace deal, after changes were made to an initial 28-point plan widely criticised as heavily slanted towards Russia."
"Zelensky said the new draft represented 'the right approach' - but serious points of contention with Russia remain and the Kremlin has consistently played down suggestions of a compromise."
"In her speech to European Union lawmakers, von der Leyen said: 'I want to be clear from the very outset: Europe will stand with Ukraine and support Ukraine every step of the way.' "
Comment: A rather "hawkish," but probably very realistic assessment of the situation.
The rise of Dan Driscoll, Army secretary turned envoy
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/26/dan-driscoll-ukraine-russia-negotiations
Comment: "U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's impromptu role in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine thrusts into the mainstream what defense circles have been whispering about: He's a Trump 2.0 power player."
Comment: "It was Driscoll who formally presented the 28-point peace plan to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky. Driscoll then held a flurry of meetings in Kyiv, joined the U.S. delegation in Geneva and jetted to Abu Dhabi to meet the Russians."
"President Trump on Tuesday said he was dispatching Steve Witkoff to Moscow and directing Driscoll to steer the next stage of talks with Kyiv."
"These are — in sum — not the typical responsibilities of an Army secretary, aka the service's No. 1 civilian."
"It was Vice President Vance's idea to tap Driscoll, who was already planning a visit to Ukraine to discuss weapons, industrial output and strategy, according to U.S. officials."
"Vance and Driscoll are former Yale Law classmates and have a long-standing relationship."
Comment: Is Driscoll qualified to be an envoy negotiating and presenting official U.S. foreign policy? Or, is Driscoll communicating JD Vance's position on Ukraine, which supposedly differs from that of Marco Rubia, the U.S. Secretary of State? It was Driscoll that presented the original pro-Russian 28-point peace plan which was subsequently modified by Rubio, the Ukrainians, and the Europeans. Is Driscoll Vance's foreign policy point man, as Vance competes with Rubio, in anticipation of a 2028 presidential competition between Vance and Rubio?
Video: Key points in Ukraine-Russia peace plan broken down by defense analyst - November 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MDc1R6MN7c
Trump wants peace in Ukraine, no matter what a deal looks like
Comment: "Trump would sign on to a deal that stops 'the war, and whatever agreement that both sides can agree on as quickly as possible,' the official added."
"Trump’s overriding desire to stop the bloodshed helps explain why the details of the plan remain fluid, and why the president in the span of 24 hours can go from giving Ukraine a Thursday deadline to agree to his plan to stressing that his proposal is not a final offer. It also sheds light on why multiple U.S. officials appear to be leading negotiations, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Geneva on Sunday to speak with Europeans and Ukrainians."
"Trump’s proposal, which was released last week, required Ukraine to make major land concessions, including the entirety of Donbas, Luhansk and Crimea, as well as agreeing to never join NATO."
"Its tilt toward Russian demands had some Republicans concerned that Trump’s focus on stopping the war was leading to a bad deal for Ukraine."
"Several senators, including Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) condemned the proposal."
" 'Those who think pressuring the victim and appeasing the aggressor will bring peace are kidding themselves,' McConnell posted on X this week."
"But Trump has long seen himself as a 'mediator' in the war and doesn’t want to take sides, a notable contrast from former President Joe Biden and most of the U.S.’s European allies. They insist Ukraine is a victim of Russian aggression and its concerns are paramount."
Comment: "Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance, have since negotiated the terms with the Ukrainians and the current proposal has been whittled down to a 19-point plan. But as they move closer to a deal that Europe and Ukraine can live with, the mood in Moscow appears increasingly pessimistic, which is likely to frustrate Trump’s ultimate aim of resolving the conflict quickly."
U.S. Army secretary warned Ukraine of imminent defeat while pushing initial peace plan
Comment: "The meeting last week was just the latest example of a long-running rift inside the Trump administration over how to end the war in Ukraine."
"The meeting between Driscoll and the Ukrainians was part of an effort by some Trump administration officials to press the Ukrainians to accept the new U.S.-backed peace proposal without delay, even though it embraced Russia’s maximalist demands and required painful concessions from Kyiv’s government, multiple current and former Western officials said."
"Ukraine politely declined to sign on to the peace plan as it was presented, and the proposal has been heavily revised since the discussions between Driscoll and Ukrainian officials last week."
"The meeting was just the latest example of a long-running rift inside the Trump administration over how to end the war in Ukraine. The split features a looming potential political rivalry between two former senators and potential presidential hopefuls positioning themselves for 2028: Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio."
"One camp, including Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and other officials, views Ukraine as the primary obstacle to peace and favors using U.S. leverage to force Kyiv to make major compromises, according to multiple current and former officials."
"The other camp, represented by Rubio and other officials, sees Russia as the culprit for having launched an unprovoked invasion of its neighbor and says Moscow will relent only if it pays a price for its aggression through sanctions and other pressure."
"With his deputies vying for his attention along with Republican lawmakers and European leaders, President Donald Trump has veered back and forth on how to resolve the conflict."
" 'It was clear for some time that there was a divide, but we’ve never seen it in action publicly quite the way we have in the last few days,' said a former senior U.S. diplomat with experience in Eastern Europe."
Video: Report: Witkoff told Russian aide how Putin should pitch peace plan to Trump - November 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UvknbtULms
Scoop: Trump's meeting with MBS got tense over Israel
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/25/trump-mbs-tense-meeting
Comment: "The meeting between President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) last week got heated when they discussed the possibility of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel, two U.S. officials and one source with knowledge of the situation told Axios."
Comment: "White House officials told the crown prince ahead of the meeting that Trump expected progress on normalizing Saudi relations with Israel."
"During the Nov. 18 meeting, Trump was the one who raised the issue and pressed hard MBS to join the Abraham Accords, U.S. officials say."
"The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, normalized relations between Israel and several other Arab nations. They were a key foreign policy achievement in Trump's first term."
"At that point the conversation got tense, the officials say. As Trump pressed, MBS pushed back."
"MBS explained to Trump that although he wants to do move forward with normalization with Israel, he can't do so now because Saudi public opinion is highly anti-Israel in the aftermath of the Gaza war. He said Saudi society isn't ready for such a move now, the three sources told Axios."
Comment: "Trump and MBS were civil but the conversation was tough, one source with knowledge of the meeting and a U.S. official said."
Scoop: Trump ready to talk with Maduro over Venezuela drug strikes
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/24/trump-maduro-talks-meeting-venezuela-boat-strikes
Trump hints support for fringe theory that Venezuela rigged 2020 election
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/24/trump-conspiracy-venezuela-2020-election
Comment: "President’s comment implies hostility to Venezuela may be based on unfounded election-rigging conspiracy theory"
The U.S. labels Venezuela's Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist group led by Maduro
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/24/g-s1-99000/u-s-label-maduro-cartel-de-los-soles-terror-organization
What is Cartel de los Soles, which the US is labelling as a terrorist organisation?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8j4ye5x0mo
CNN: Trump administration formally designates Venezuela’s Maduro as member of a foreign terrorist organization
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/24/politics/venezuela-terrorist-designation-maduro
Video: Ukraine and U.S. revise peace plan as origins questioned - November 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnzVlLbkPP0
Comment: Good summary that explains how the Ukrainian peace proposal has evolved and the issues yet to be resolved.
Putin’s Win-Win: Take a Russia-Friendly Peace Deal, or Fight On
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/world/europe/trump-ukraine-peace-talks-russia.html
Comment: "The Kremlin’s leader is standing back as Ukraine and Europe scramble to negotiate changes to a U.S. proposal to end the war."
As Ukraine Sets ‘Red Lines,’ a U.S. Peace Plan Is Slimmed Down
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/world/europe/ukraine-zelensky-rubio-russia-peace-plan.html
Comment: "U.S. and Ukrainian mediators emerged from two days of talks on Monday with a slimmed-down peace framework that sets aside contentious issues, as Ukrainian officials underscored their country’s 'red lines' on territory, military capacity and foreign alliances."
"President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine was at a 'critical moment' and would soon determine its next steps. He spoke after high-level discussions in Geneva on Sunday in which Ukraine and its European allies laid out concerns about a draft of a 28-point peace proposal that was favorable to Russia on many issues."
Comment: "As Ukrainian officials told news outlets that a significant reworking of the plan had brought it closer to Ukraine’s position on several points, it raised questions about whether Russia would agree to any proposal that did not hew to its maximalist demands. The initial 28-point plan, drafted by the Trump administration with Russian input, called for Ukraine to cede land, shrink its army and forswear membership in NATO."
Rubio changes the tack of Trump’s Ukraine negotiations after week of chaos
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/24/rubio-trump-ukraine-negotiations-00667882
Comment: "Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, an unusual choice to play diplomat, spent two days last week delivering a tough message to Ukraine and its European allies: Accept the offered 28-point peace proposal by Thanksgiving, or else. Then, Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed up."
"Rubio’s arrival in Geneva on Sunday, to join Driscoll and resume discussions with senior Ukrainian officials, changed the tenor of the conversations. The Trump administration team backed away from a firm Thursday deadline and, in the opinion of the Europeans and Ukrainians, started taking their positions more into consideration."
"That’s according to four people familiar with the discussions, all granted anonymity to speak about sensitive diplomacy."
" 'We believe that Marco Rubio’s engagement in the continuation of talks is important,' according to a fifth person, an official from a NATO country. The person said Monday that Rubio’s impact is seen in the change of pace of negotiations. 'After yesterday, it has slowed down, and that’s good.' "
"The head-spinning and chaotic past week of U.S. diplomacy has made plain two truths about Rubio’s role in the administration: First, foreign and congressional interlocutors regard him as a clean-up hand on the Russia-Ukraine file, coming in to restore order and realign Washington with its allies and partners, rather than Moscow."
"Second, President Donald Trump’s preference for jettisoning traditional policy coordination across Cabinet departments has bred a turbulent foreign policy with an array of senior principals operating in their own lanes. Dual-hatted Rubio has not, whether by design or accident, played the national security adviser’s usual role coordinating agencies’ plans before they are implemented."
"But Rubio appeared to find a way to belatedly get other administration officials on board in Geneva. He streamlined the administration’s diverging views — which had been made public days and in soe cases hours before — and directed more collaboration."
Comment: "Before Rubio showed up in Switzerland, it largely felt like Vice President JD Vance, via his close friend Driscoll, was leading the process. By the end of the weekend, Rubio had taken the reins because the conversations became more flexible, the official said."
"Still, Rubio was also joined in Switzerland on Sunday by deputy national security adviser Andy Baker (who is a close aide to Vance), special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who 'have shown a certain degree of independence, to put it mildly,' the European official said. Even as Rubio has taken the lead, they have continued to advocate positions that European and Ukrainian officials see as out of line with Rubio’s approach."
Comment: " 'Things went in the right direction in Geneva. Still a work in progress, but looking much better now,' said another one of the people familiar with the talks, a second European official. 'Rubio is a pro who knows his stuff. But he works for the president who decides in the end.'"
Comment: "Rubio’s participation in the talks produced much more American flexibility, the four people familiar with the discussions said. Rubio told reporters on Sunday night that the aim is simply to finalize discussions 'as soon as possible,' rather than by Thanksgiving."
"The U.S. is also no longer so firmly wedded to the initial 28-point-plan that alarmed allies. While the administration had said it was a starting point and Trump said Saturday said it wasn’t 'his final offer,' those familiar with the talks said the administration didn’t at first seem open to other offers. Rubio on Sunday called it a 'living, breathing document'."
"The U.S. and Ukraine have now drafted a 19-point plan that excludes territorial concessions, which will be discussed by the American and Ukrainian presidents, said a senior European official and a sixth person familiar with the discussions. The new document was first reported by the Financial Times."
" 'Rubio simply understands better than many others in the current administration — none of whom are Ukraine experts and very few know anything beyond the myths about Russia — that even in the difficult situation that Ukraine is in, there is simply no way the Ukrainian government can sign the capitulation,' the first European official said."
"Confusion remains over the original provenance of the 28-point plan. While American officials initially said it was an American plan with Russian input, Sen. Mike Rounds (R–S.D.) said Saturday night that Rubio had told him and a number of other lawmakers that the plan originally came from the Russians. The State Department official said Rubio did not say the proposal was initially Russian."
Russia keeping "stolen" Ukrainian territory "the main problem" with U.S. peace proposal, Zelenskyy says
Video: Kremlin rejects revised European peace plan to end war in Ukraine | REUTERS - November 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQKdA1ZDSew
Comment: Not sure, but believe that the referenced European Peace Plan is not the new revised 19-point plan negotiated in Geneva between Rubio, Ukraine and the Europeans. However, given that the Russians were quick to reject this European plan, it appears doubtful that they will accept the 19-point plan that was drafted in Geneva. They are likely holding out for the 28-point plan, which some have reported that the Russians originally created and then handed to the Trump administration.
Dan Driscoll: envoy pushing Ukraine ‘peace’ plan belies Vance influence
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/24/ukraine-peace-plan-jd-vance-daniel-driscoll
Comment: "The US army secretary, Daniel Driscoll, was an unlikely envoy for the Trump administration's newest proposal to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine – but his ties to JD Vance have put a close ally of the Eurosceptic vice-president on the frontlines of Donald Trump's latest push to end the war."
"Before his trip to Kyiv last week, Driscoll was not known for his role as a negotiator or statesman, and his early efforts at selling the deal to European policymakers were described as turbulent. He is currently in Abu Dhabi, where Russian and Ukrainian delegations have arrived for talks."
"His close ties to Vance, with whom he studied at Yale and shares a close friendship, indicate the resurgence of the isolationist vice-president in negotiations to end the Ukraine crisis."
"It was Vance who stepped in during Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disasterous first trip to the Trump White House in March and demanded he show Trump more 'respect' – now Ukraine is once again resisting pressure from the US to cut a quick deal that local officials have described as a 'capitulation'.
"After a tumultuous first year in office, foreign policy decisions in the White House are said to be shaped by a handful of Trump’s top advisers – including chief of staff Susie Wiles, rightwing adviser Stephen Miller, envoy Steve Witkoff, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and finally Vance."
Comment: Much of this analysis refers to initial 28-point plan put forth (reportedly with Russian help) by the more isolationist faction in the White House led by JD Vance. Once Secretary of State Rubio got involved in the negotiations in Geneva, the peace plan was renegotiated with the Ukrainians and Europeans to make it somewhat more agreeable to them. It is unclear whether the new plan will be agreeable to the Russians.
Comment: Please see the article (and associated comments) above entitled: "Rubio changes the tack of Trump’s Ukraine negotiations after week of chaos"
CNN: Germany wants to build Europe’s strongest army – a new conscription bill is moving that closer
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/europe/germany-europe-army-reform-intl
Video: World leaders gather to discuss Trump-backed Ukraine peace plan - November 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xVpdI9sdylA
Comment: This video refers to the original 28-point plan, not the later 19-point plan that came out of a meeting between Marco Rubio, Ukraine, and the Europeans.
Europe lays down red lines on Ukraine in rebuke to Trump plan
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-rules-out-restrictions-on-ukraines-army-in-rebuke-to-trump-plan/
Comment: "In a statement following talks on the sidelines of a G20 summit of major economies in South Africa, von der Leyen laid out a series of red lines in response to proposals being put forward by President Donald Trump's White House. The American blueprint suggests Ukraine should make territorial concessions to Moscow, halve the size of its military, and give Washington a 50 percent cut on profits from reconstruction."
Comment: "According to von der Leyen, the EU has three key criteria for any peace deal: 'First, borders cannot be changed by force. Second, as a sovereign nation there cannot be limitations on Ukraine's armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attack and thereby also undermining European security,' she said."
" 'Third, the centrality of the European Union in securing peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected,' von der Leyen continued. 'Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny.' "
Comment: "European Council President António Costa has welcomed the U.S. efforts to end the war but warned the current proposal is merely 'a basis which will require additional work.' "
"EU officials assembled in Geneva on Sunday for U.S.-brokered talks on ending the conflict, where they hoped to convince American envoys to reflect European concerns in the negotiations. European capitals have reiterated that no peace agreement can be done without direct input from Ukraine."
"European countries including Ukraine say they were effectively cut out of the development of the 28-point plan, which critics say rewards Russian aggression and would leave the door open to future invasions."
"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that he was 'very disappointed' with the initiative."
'No one will support it': Ukraine's soldiers react to US peace plan
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp89e5gjykdo
CNN: Trump’s signals to Zelensky and Europe: Accept this plan or you’re on your own
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/europe/zelensky-ukraine-europe-trump-plan-intl
CNN: Germany wants to build Europe’s strongest army – a new conscription bill is moving that closer
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/europe/germany-europe-army-reform-intl
Europe lays down red lines on Ukraine in rebuke to Trump plan
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-rules-out-restrictions-on-ukraines-army-in-rebuke-to-trump-plan/
Comment: "In a statement following talks on the sidelines of a G20 summit of major economies in South Africa, von der Leyen laid out a series of red lines in response to proposals being put forward by President Donald Trump's White House. The American blueprint suggests Ukraine should make territorial concessions to Moscow, halve the size of its military, and give Washington a 50 percent cut on profits from reconstruction."
Comment: "According to von der Leyen, the EU has three key criteria for any peace deal: 'First, borders cannot be changed by force. Second, as a sovereign nation there cannot be limitations on Ukraine's armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attack and thereby also undermining European security,' she said."
" 'Third, the centrality of the European Union in securing peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected,' von der Leyen continued. 'Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny.' "
Comment: "European Council President António Costa has welcomed the U.S. efforts to end the war but warned the current proposal is merely 'a basis which will require additional work.' "
"EU officials assembled in Geneva on Sunday for U.S.-brokered talks on ending the conflict, where they hoped to convince American envoys to reflect European concerns in the negotiations. European capitals have reiterated that no peace agreement can be done without direct input from Ukraine."
"European countries including Ukraine say they were effectively cut out of the development of the 28-point plan, which critics say rewards Russian aggression and would leave the door open to future invasions."
"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that he was 'very disappointed' with the initiative."
CNN: Trump’s signals to Zelensky and Europe: Accept this plan or you’re on your own
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/europe/zelensky-ukraine-europe-trump-plan-intl
Israel kills top Hezbollah official in first attack on Beirut in months
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn81j54xjx1o
Israel says it assassinated Hezbollah's top military commander in Beirut
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/23/israel-strike-hezbollah-commander
CNN: Israel targets Hezbollah chief-of-staff with first strike on Beirut in months
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/middleeast/israel-hezbollah-beirut-strikes-intl
Gaza hospitals running out of supplies as Israeli airstrikes continue, medics say
Comment: "Mohammed Saqr, the director of nursing at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, said: 'We are still suffering a severe lack of most of our supplies and medicines. We have daily crises, and the same shortages and deficiencies in supplies, and we are still exhausted as we are still receiving lots of casualties."
" 'There isn’t much difference from the period before the ceasefire. Unfortunately, the bombing is still going on … We don’t feel there is a big change.'"
Trump quietly holds off on Canada tariff increase
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/23/canada-tariffs-trump-00663710
Comment: "President Donald Trump has yet to follow through on his threat to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Canadian imports, four weeks after he halted 'all trade negotiations' over an anti-tariff ad the province of Ontario ran during the Major League Baseball World Series."
" 'Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Oct. 25, after announcing two days earlier that he was terminating trade talks over the the 'egregious' ad."
"Trump’s announcement had Canadian exporters preparing for a worst-case scenario: a sweeping levy layered on top of existing double-digit duties, which would have been particularly painful for industries like autos, where components cross the border multiple times before reaching their final form."
"But to date, the Trump administration hasn’t sent any official documentation ordering U.S. Customs and Border Protection to enforce the new, higher duty, and U.S. importers have not received any new regulatory guidance."
Comment: "The White House did not say whether it still plans to impose the tariff when asked for comment. But a separate U.S. official suggested the Trump administration had opted to hold off on additional duties — which would have sent tariffs on Canadian goods to 45 percent — and instead continue to dangle the threat as the two sides gear up for future talks."
Comment: More Trump instigated changes and confusion regarding tariffs makes it difficult for U.S. (and Canadian) businesses to plan and invest.
CNN: The G20 summit in South Africa ends with the glaring absence of the US after Trump’s boycott
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/africa/g20-south-africa-ends-trump-boycott-intl
G20 summit closes in South Africa after U.S. absence
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/23/nx-s1-5616430/g20-summit-ends-south-africa-trump-ramaphosa
CBS News poll finds most would oppose U.S. military action in Venezuela, say Trump hasn't explained
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-venezuela-u-s-military-action-trump/
U.S. considers dropping leaflets in Venezuela as it ramps up pressure on Maduro, sources say
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-considers-dropping-leaflets-venezuela-maduro/
Comment: One hopes that someone is considering that the Venezuelans might shoot a surface to air missile (SAM) at any plane or drone flying in its airspace. What does the U.S. do then? This idea seems a little risky, just to drop some propaganda leaflets.
How Rubio’s political fate is entangled with Maduro’s
Comment: "Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hoping the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Venezuela breaks strongman Nicolás Maduro’s will to stay in power."
"But if the effort goes sideways, it could wreck Rubio’s presidential prospects instead — damaging his standing with key voters, especially in his home state of Florida."
"Rubio, who also serves as acting national security adviser, is a main architect of the administration’s Venezuela strategy, which includes a massive U.S. military build-up in the Caribbean and deadly airstrikes on boats alleged to be ferrying drugs."
"The stated goal of the campaign is to battle drug cartels, but U.S. officials and people close to the administration say Rubio and aides hope the effort will lead to Maduro's fall from power."
G20 summit in South Africa adopts declaration despite U.S. boycott and opposition
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/g20-summit-south-africa-declaration-us-boycott/
Comment: "World leaders from the Group of 20 rich and developing economies broke with tradition and adopted a declaration at the start of their summit in South Africa on Saturday despite opposition from the United States, which is boycotting the two-day talks in a diplomatic rift with the host country."
"Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said a leaders' declaration was adopted unanimously by the other members at the start of the talks in Johannesburg. Declarations are usually adopted at the end of G20 summits."
"The 122-point declaration urged more global action on issues that specifically affect poor countries, like climate-related disasters and sovereign debt levels, and was promoted by the host country as a victory for the first G20 summit to be held in Africa."
"The summit has been overshadowed by the U.S. boycott ordered by President Trump, and the U.S. had put pressure on South Africa not to adopt a leaders' declaration in the absence of an American delegation, South African officials said."
US, Ukraine say they have an 'updated and refined' peace framework, but questions remain
Comment: Linked article also includes video.
Trump says US plan to end Ukraine war not 'final offer' for Kyiv
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clydg8w7kxvo
Comment: "President Donald Trump has said a US plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war is not his 'final offer' for Kyiv, after Ukrainian allies voiced concerns over proposals."
"Earlier on Saturday, leaders from Europe, Canada and Japan said the plan had elements 'essential for a just and lasting peace', but would 'require additional work', citing concerns over border changes and caps on Ukraine's army."
"On Sunday, security officials from Britain, France, Germany, the US and Ukraine will meet in Geneva, Switzerland."
"President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier warned Ukraine faced 'one of the most difficult moments in our history' over US pressure to accept the plan seen as favourable to Moscow."
"Trump has given Ukraine until 27 November to accept the 28-point plan, while Russia's President Vladimir Putin said it could be the 'basis' for a settlement."
"When asked on Saturday whether the current draft plan was his final offer for Ukraine, Trump told reporters at the White House: 'No, not my final offer.' "
Comment: "Require additional work" is a nice, diplomatic way for world leaders to put it.
U.S. senators say Marco Rubio told them Trump's Ukraine peace plan is Russia's 'wish list'
Comment: "Lawmakers critical of President Donald Trump's approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war said Saturday they spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio who told them that the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is a 'wish list' of the Russians and not the actual proposal offering Washington’s positions."
"A State Department spokesperson denied their account, calling it 'blatantly false'."
"Rubio himself then took the extraordinary step of suggesting online that the senators were mistaken, even though they said he was their source for the information. The secretary of state doubled down on the assertion that Washington was responsible for a proposal that had surprised many from the beginning for being so favorable to Moscow."
"It all added up to a confusing — and potentially embarrassing — turn of events for a Trump administration-blessed peace plan that already faced a potentially rocky future."
"The widely leaked 28-point U.S.-backed peace plan was, according to the White House, the result of a month of work between Rubio and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff along with input from what it said was both Ukrainians and Russians. The plan acquiesces to many Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory. Trump says he wants Ukraine to accept the plan by late next week."
" 'This administration was not responsible for this release in its current form,' said Republican Mike Rounds from South Dakota, speaking at a security conference in Canada. 'They want to utilize it as a starting point.' "
"Rounds said 'it looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with. ' "
"The senators said they spoke to Rubio after he reached out to some of them while on his way to Geneva for talks on the plan. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Rubio told them the plan 'was not the administration’s plan' but a 'wish list of the Russians'."
"The bipartisan group of senators, who are veteran legislators and among those most focused on foreign relations, stood together at the press conference as they relayed Rubio’s message on the call."
France's Macron says peace deal proposal needs to be revisited
Comment: " French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday a peace plan submitted by the U.S. to end the war between Ukraine and Russia was a good basis for work but needed to be revisited, taking the Europeans on board."
Comment: " 'But it's a basis for work that needs to be revisited, as we did last summer, because this plan, first of all, wasn't negotiated with the Europeans,' he said."
Comment: " 'Yet, it stipulates many things for the Europeans. Frozen assets are held by Europeans. The European integration of Ukraine is in the hands of the Europeans,' he said."
Comment: " 'Knowing what NATO is doing is in the hands of NATO members. So there are many things that can't simply be an American proposal, that require broader consultation,' he added."
Comment: Very diplomatic way for Macron to say that the 28-point plan, as initially proposed by the U.S., is unacceptable to the Europeans.
Israel launches strikes in Gaza ceasefire's latest test as hospitals say more than 20 killed
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/israel-launches-strikes-gaza-ceasefire-rcna245320
Comment: "At least another 50 were wounded in the strikes, as the U.N.-backed plan to stabilize and govern Gaza moves forward."
New US-Saudi security deal raises questions
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/new-us-saudi-security-deal-raises-questions/story?id=127753446
Video: ‘This is a Putin plan for Ukraine': Sen. Shaheen slams U.S. negotiated proposal to end Russia’s war - November 21, 2025
Video: ‘Zelensky says he will not betray Ukraine as the US pushes for a peace deal with Russia | BBC News - November 21, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peWIO9kVeWE
Ukraine faces losing dignity or US support with Trump's plan to end war, Zelensky says
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/21/europe/ukraine-war-trump-plan-zelensky-intl
Zelensky warns Ukraine risks losing US support over White House peace plan
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy5g4r9l4dlo
Comment: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Kyiv risks losing US support over a White House plan on how to end the war with Russia."
"Addressing the nation on Friday, Zelensky said Ukraine 'might face a very difficult choice: either losing dignity, or risk losing a key partner', adding that 'today is one of the most difficult moments in our history'."
"The widely leaked US peace plan includes proposals that Kyiv had previously ruled out: ceding eastern areas it now controls, significantly cutting its army size, and pledging not to join Nato."
"These provisions are seen as heavily slanted towards Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin said the plan could be a 'basis' for peace settlement."
"At Friday's meeting with his security cabinet, Putin said Moscow had received the plan, which had not been discussed with the Kremlin in detail. He said Russia was willing to 'show flexibility' but was also prepared to fight on."
"Later in the day, US President Donald Trump said Zelensky would 'have to like' the plan, adding that otherwise Ukraine and Russia would continue fighting."
"Ukraine is critically dependent on deliveries of US-made advanced weaponry, including air defence systems to repel deadly Russian air assaults, as well as intelligence provided by Washington."
Comment: "Washington has been pressing Kyiv to quickly accept the plan, and sent senior Pentagon officials to the Ukrainian capital earlier this week."
Comment: There appears to be nothing in the U.S. proposed plan that Zelensky would "have to like." As described in this article, the proposed plan seems to give Russia and Putin whatever it wants, at the expense of Ukraine. One wonders what threats the Trump administration has made in an attempt to force Ukraine to accept this proposal, or even use it as a basis for further negotiation. The plan seems very one-sided, in favor of Putin.
Video: Zelenskyy faces pressure as US and Russia draw up peace plan for Ukraine - November 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btAh3QR5xis
PBS: U.S. now wants to reverse its boycott and join the G20 summit, South African president says
Comment: "The United States government has indicated that it has had a 'change of mind' and wants to participate at the Group of 20 summit in South Africa in a reverse of its boycott, the South African president said Thursday."
"South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the summit host country had received communication from the U.S. at 'the 11th hour' and was now working on the logistics to accommodate the U.S."
"U.S. President Donald Trump had announced that his administration would boycott the two-day meeting of rich and developing nations in Johannesburg that opens on Saturday. Trump has said the U.S. was boycotting over his claims that Ramaphosa’s government is violently persecuting a white minority."
Comment: If this is true and the U.S. "has had a change of mind" at this late date, this is indicative of a confusing and chaotic foreign policy and of a confusing U.S. foreign trade emphasis. Trump's original boycott was based on a false claim of white minority persecution in South Africa that was never supported by facts and was totally ridiculous.
NOTE: U.S. Ended up boycotting the G20.
CNN: Jets, chips and a clean slate: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince got almost everything he wanted from Trump
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/20/middleeast/jets-chips-clean-slate-mbs-trump-saudi-intl
Video: Trump and MBS unveil U.S.-Saudi ventures on rare earth minerals and nuclear energy - November 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbW0SX18M7Y
US and Russian officials draft plan to end Ukraine war based on capitulation from Kyiv
Comment: "US and Russian officials have quietly drafted a new plan to end the war in Ukraine that would require Kyiv to surrender territory and severely limit the size of its military, it was reported on Wednesday as Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least 25 people in the city of Ternopil."
"The draft plan, which was reportedly developed by Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev, would force draconian measures on Ukraine that would give Russia unprecedented control over the country’s military and political sovereignty. The plan is likely to be viewed as surrender in Kyiv."
"The two men have formed an important but unofficial backchannel between Moscow and Washington, and it was unclear whether the Trump administration had formally backed the plan."
"The Financial Times and Reuters reported that the proposal would require Ukraine to cede territory it controls in the east of the country and halve the size of its military, conditions that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has in the past called non-starters. Other conditions include limiting US military assistance and categories of armaments used by the Ukrainian military."
"The existence of the 28-point plan, which appears to be inspired by a similar proposal the Trump administration developed to end the war in Gaza, was first reported by Axios. The White House did not immediately respond to a Guardian request for more detail on the proposal."
"Washington has repeatedly suggested that it is close to a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, but the proposals have failed because they would have granted Russia most of its demands while requiring Kyiv to make painful concessions."
Trump's business empire goes global while he's in the White House
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/18/trump-business-serbia-saudi-profit
Comment: "Protests in Serbia last week over a planned Trump Tower in Belgrade were just the latest example of the president's business empire rubbing up against U.S. foreign policy."
Comment: "Officially, the president has handed management of his real estate portfolio to his sons. But for some governments around the world, it may be hard to entirely separate Trump's business from Trump himself."
Comment: "Serbia's government passed a law this month to fast-track development of the future Trump Tower Belgrade by an investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law."
"The project is backed by strongman President Aleksandar Vučić, who has tried to court President Trump while facing mass protests at home."
Comment: "It's not the first Trump-branded project that's reportedly been expedited by a foreign government during Trump's second term — or the first to face backlash."
"Work was allowed to begin earlier this year on a massive hotel and golf development outside Hanoi without all the required legal and environmental reviews, while Vietnam was also holding high-stakes trade talks with the Trump administration, according to a New York Times investigation."
Comment: "While President Trump has been seeking deals around the world on behalf of the U.S., his family members have been working deals in many of the same countries."
"Investment funds backed by Gulf states or royals have poured money into Kushner's investment fund and the Trump family's crypto venture, for example."
"Those countries — the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia — also struck massive deals with the Trump administration for AI chips and arms."
CNN: Trump claims slain journalist Khashoggi was ‘extremely controversial,’ defends Saudi crown prince
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/18/politics/khashoggi-murder-trump-bin-saudi-crown-prince
Trump welcomes MBS for White House visit with fanfare for Saudi crown prince and military flyover
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-welcomes-mbs-saudi-crown-prince-white-house/
UN security council votes to endorse Donald Trump’s Gaza plan
Comment: "The resolution, which includes references to an independent Palestine, was passed by a vote of 13-0 with China and Russia abstaining"
UN approves US Gaza plan with possible future path to an independent Palestinian state
https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-11-17-2025
Trump says he would be 'OK' launching strikes in Mexico to fight drug smuggling
Comment: "Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly said U.S. military action in the country without her permission won't happen."
Comment: So much for Mexico's sovereignty.
Comment: One wonders how much Trump's statements negatively impact our reputation and diplomacy in Mexico, Latin America, and the rest of the world.
Whatever Trump’s goal in Venezuela, US military action is unlikely to achieve it | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/17/americas/analysis-trump-military-action-venezuela-intl-latam
Justice Department official told prosecutors that U.S. should 'just sink' drug boats
Trump says he will sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/17/trump-f-35-saudi-arabia-00654771
Comment: "President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he will allow Saudi Arabia to purchase F-35 stealth fighter planes, a move that will likely anger Israel as the U.S. deepens ties with another Middle East powerhouse."
"Trump announced his plan ahead of a Tuesday meeting at the White House with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader."
Trump, ignoring MAGA critics, is set to deepen US commitment to Saudi Arabia
Trump pulling out all the stops to welcome Saudi crown prince for first White House visit since Khashoggi killing | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/16/politics/saudi-crown-prince-trump-white-house
Last nuclear treaty between US and Russia nears expiration as Trump and Putin trade testing threats | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/16/politics/us-russia-nuclear-treaty
Israeli leader insists there can be no Palestinian state
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/16/israel-netanyahu-palestine-united-nations-00653961
The war in Gaza is over, but the fight in Israel for accountability has barely begun | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/16/middleeast/netanyahu-israel-accountability-gaza-intl
Video: Protesters in Israel demand Netanyahu to accept state inquiry into Oct. 7 attack - November 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwz4MOoEj9g
Thousands protest crime and corruption in Mexico City as ‘Gen Z’ protests gain momentum
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-generation-z-protest-9b0a8b1461a1ec47cce696d25e04feb5
Mexico's new generation takes to the streets, accusing leaders of protecting cartels
Hamas quietly reasserts control in Gaza as post-war talks grind on
Comment: "From regulating the price of chicken to levying fees on cigarettes, Hamas is seeking to widen control over Gaza as U.S. plans for its future slowly take shape, Palestinians in Gaza say, adding to rivals’ doubts over whether it will cede authority as promised."
"After a ceasefire began last month, Hamas swiftly reestablished its hold over areas from which Israel withdrew, killing dozens of Palestinians it accused of collaborating with Israel, theft or other crimes. Foreign powers demand the group disarm and leave government but have yet to agree who will replace them."
"Now, a dozen Palestinians say they are increasingly feeling Hamas control in other ways. Authorities monitor everything coming into areas of Gaza held by Hamas, levying fees on some privately imported goods including fuel as well as cigarettes and fining merchants seen to be overcharging for goods, according to 10 of the Gaza residents, three of them merchants with direct knowledge."
The man behind Rubio's transformation of the State Department
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/15/the-man-in-rubios-ear-00653051
Comment: "The Trump administration has remade the Republican Party in countless ways. Few behind-the-scenes players exemplify the transformation quite like Michael Needham."
"A decade ago, Needham was an insurgent, Tea Party firebrand and thorn in the side of establishment Republicans like Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Jim DeMint, the former South Carolina senator and leading Tea Party figure. Today he’s remade himself as the policy fixer for Marco Rubio’s State Department, translating Trump-era nationalism into U.S. foreign policy. His rise from movement agitator to the secretary’s top strategist shows how deeply the MAGA worldview has permeated Republican diplomacy."
"Officially, Needham is counselor and director of the secretary’s policy planning staff; unofficially, he is the implementer-in-chief of a muscular foreign policy that is reasserting itself in Latin America and has used State Department powers to enforce MAGA principles at home, according to interviews with five people close to Rubio and Needham."
Trump likely to face long military commitment and chaos if he ousts Maduro in Venezuela, experts say | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/15/politics/trump-maduro-removal-venezuela
CNN: Trump has suggested he’s made a decision on Venezuela military operations. Here’s what we know
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/15/politics/venezuela-trump-military-what-we-know
Record settler attacks in West Bank opening up rifts within Israel
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwykze63r2xo
Israel’s president says ‘shocking’ settler violence against Palestinians must end
Comment: "Israel’s president and high-ranking military officials on Wednesday condemned attacks a day earlier by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for an end to a growing wave of settler violence in the occupied territory."
"President Isaac Herzog described the attacks as 'shocking and serious,' adding a rare and powerful voice to what has been muted criticism by top Israeli officials of the settler violence. Herzog’s position, while largely ceremonial, is meant to serve as a moral compass and unifying force for the country."
"Herzog said the violence committed by a 'handful' of perpetrators 'crosses a red line,' adding in a social media post that 'all state authorities must act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon.' "
"His remarks, and those of two high-ranking military officials, came after dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf in the West Bank on Tuesday, setting fire to vehicles and other property before clashing with Israeli soldiers."
Comment: Herzog's statements are nice sentiments, but what is Prime Minister Netanyahu doing to stop the Jewish settler violence in the West Bank?
Venezuela launches huge military exercise as U.S. Navy flotilla nears Caribbean waters
Comment: "Venezuela announced Tuesday that it was launching a massive military exercise across the country, reportedly involving some 200,000 forces, in response to the increasing presence of U.S. military assets in the region. The announcement by Venezuela's military came as the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford had entered the Southern Command's area of responsibility — which includes the Caribbean."
"The Venezuelan Ministry of Defense said the exercise launched Tuesday involved the deployment of land, air and sea assets."
Trump has promised peace for Gaza. Private documents paint a grim picture.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/11/trump-peace-gaza-documents-00642466
Comment: "The documents, presented in Israel last month to officials from the Departments of State and Defense, raise concerns including whether a multinational security initiative meant to keep the peace in Gaza can really be deployed."
Prominent Afrikaners refuse to be 'pawns,' and hit back at Trump's claims about South Africa
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/10/nx-s1-5603421/g20-afrikaners-trump-south-africa
Comment: "President Trump has announced that no U.S. officials will attend the G20 summit hosted by South Africa — the current rotating chair of the group of major world economies — in Johannesburg later this month, citing 'human rights' concerns. Vice President Vance had been due to attend in Trump's place."
" 'It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners (People who are descended from Dutch settlers, and also French and German immigrants) are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated,' Trump posted on Truth Social over the weekend. He previously said South Africa should be kicked out of 'the gs' altogether."
Comment: "The South African government has repeatedly tried to correct the White House, providing statistics that disprove these claims — for example the fact that Black people are by far the worst affected by violent crime and that whites still own the majority of commercial farmland — to no avail."
"Now, some white Afrikaners themselves, as well as Afrikaans groups, are calling out what they say are the U.S. administration's 'lies' and 'falsehoods' in their name."
" 'We reject the narrative that casts Afrikaners as victims of racial persecution in post-apartheid South Africa,' a group of over 40 prominent Afrikaners said in an open letter last month. 'We are not pawns in America's culture wars.' "
"The group included writers, journalists, musicians, university lecturers and Christian clergy."
" 'Afrikaners have done harm in the past, and we acknowledge that,' the letter said, referring to the fact that their ancestors – as well as British settlers – colonized the country. The Afrikaners later set up the apartheid system which segregated the races, prevented the Black majority from voting, and brutally clamped down on dissent."
" 'As citizens of post-apartheid South Africa, we have dedicated ourselves to building our country. Singling us out as victims of multiracialism alienates us from our fellow-South Africans and harms relationships that have been fostered over the past 30 years.' "
Comment: "Max du Preez, an Afrikaner journalist and author who was among the signatories of the letter, told NPR they rejected the narrative coming out of the White House as 'the abuse of our ethnic identity to further the MAGA movement's interests.' "
" 'There is no genocide in South Africa, there's absolutely no persecution of anyone based on race. Our constitution has iron-clad protection of every citizen's human rights,' he said."
" 'Not a single square inch of white-owned land has been confiscated since we became a democracy in 1994,' du Preez added. 'Please stop lying about us and using us as pawns.' "
Trump says boat crews are narco-terrorists. The truth is more nuanced, AP finds
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/08/nx-s1-5602884/drug-smuggling-boats
Comment: "Most of the nine men were crewing such craft for the first or second time, making at least $500 per trip, residents and relatives said. They were laborers, a fisherman, a motorcycle taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a well-known local crime boss who contracted out his smuggling services to traffickers."
Comment: "The Trump administration has justified the strikes by declaring drug cartels to be 'unlawful combatants' and said the U.S. is now in an 'armed conflict' with them. Trump has said each sunken boat has saved 25,000 American lives, presumably from overdoses. The boats, however, appear to have been transporting cocaine, not the far more deadly synthetic opioids that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year."
Comment: Should the boats have been stopped by the Coast Guard and the crew arrested, convicted and jailed, instead of the boats being blown up and the crew killed?
Video: In new book, Michael McFaul explores the global fight between autocracy and democracy - November 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM-spMfsJcg
Turkey issues ‘genocide’ arrest warrants against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials | CNN
Exclusive: US intel found Israeli military lawyers warned there was evidence of Gaza war crimes, former US officials say
Support for Israel among U.S. conservatives is starting to crack. Here's why
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/07/nx-s1-5558286/israel-republicans-antisemitism-carlson
Video: Trump asked Hungary's prime minister if Ukraine can win Russia war, Orbán says "miracle can happen" - November 07, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35CBTmChuGY
Comment: Trump solicits foreign policy insight from pro-Putin autocrat. How's that for an unbiased assessment? [sarcasm added]
Flattery will get you everywhere: Orbán lays it on thick with Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/07/orban-trump-flattery-white-house
Comment: "The Hungarian PM needed Trump’s help over Russia oil sanctions – so he deployed a tried-and-trusted method"
Trump exempts Hungary from Russian oil sanctions for 1 year
Comment: "The White House said Friday that it has agreed to exempt Hungary from U.S. sanctions on buying Russian oil for one year following President Donald Trump’s meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán."
"It’s a big win for the conservative Hungarian leader, whose top priority in coming to Washington was to seek relief from sanctions that could cripple his country given its reliance on Russian energy sources."
"The U.S. sanctions on Russian oil are designed to cut off the flow of money Russia earns from energy exports, a major source of funding for its war in Ukraine. Trump last month announced new sanctions targeting two of Russia’s largest oil companies — Rosneft and Lukoil — and many of their subsidiaries, after Russia failed to commit seriously to a peace process, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the time."
"It came after months of pressure on the administration from Congress to impose tougher sanctions on Russia’s oil and energy sector and moves by other European countries to limit use of Russian oil and gas."
"Orbán has been one the most outspoken European leaders against the sanctions. Hungary relies on Russian oil for 86 percent of its supply, a number that has grown since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022."
Comment: "The warm relationship — and Trump’s offer to host the summit in Hungary — is in part due to Orbán’s unrelenting support for the president. He was an ally when Trump was out of power and visited him at Mar-a-Lago, and is leading a conservative, anti-immigration and nationalist government that MAGA world wants to emulate."
Trump heaps praise on Hungary's Viktor Orban in White House meeting
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-meet-hungarys-viktor-orban-white-house/story?id=127269587
Comment: "President Donald Trump welcomed Hungary's autocratic leader Viktor Orban to the White House on Friday, praising him repeatedly as a 'great leader' as met sat to discuss trade and Russia's war in Ukraine."
" 'I like and respect him,' Trump said as he and Orban sat for lunch with their teams in the Cabinet Room, specifically applauding Orban's views on immigration and crime."
At White House meeting, Hungary's Orbán to seek Trump's blessing to keep buying Russian oil | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/trump-orban-white-house-russian-oil-fe913a452111b0b95b3eedb7cd8ee950
‘Trump is against humankind’: World leaders at climate summit take swipes at absent president
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/06/leaders-admonish-trump-cop30-absence-00640036
US boat strikes are crimes against humanity, says former ICC prosecutor
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9kgqwnk8wo
IDF launching airstrikes on southern Lebanon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGspWdl7HPs
Comment: More airstrikes from Israel, this time in Lebanon instead of Gaza.
Europeans recognize Zohran Mamdani’s supposedly radical policies as ‘normal’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/06/europe-zohran-mamdani-policies-normal
Comment: "Critics of New York City’s mayor-elect have said his pledges of free bus service and universal childcare are unrealistic, but in Europe it’s a given"
Putin requests proposals for possible resumption of nuclear weapons tests in response to Trump's comments
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/putin-nuclear-weapons-tests-proposals-trump-comments/
Comment: Putin "saber rattling" or the start of a new nuclear arms race?
US fires Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile after Trump called for restarting nuclear weapons tests
Comment: Test of unarmed nuclear weapon delivery system, not a nuclear weapons test.
Trump administration is planning new mission in Mexico against cartels, current and former U.S. officials say
Comment: "The Trump administration has begun detailed planning for a new mission to send American troops and intelligence officers into Mexico to target drug cartels, according to two U.S. officials and two former senior U.S. officials familiar with the effort."
"The early stages of training for the potential mission, which would include ground operations inside Mexico, has already begun, the two current U.S. officials said. But a deployment to Mexico is not imminent, the two U.S. officials and one of the former U.S. officials said. Discussions about the scope of the mission are ongoing, and a final decision has not been made, the two current U.S. officials said."
"The U.S. troops, many of whom would be from Joint Special Operations Command, would operate under the authority of the U.S. intelligence community, known as Title 50 status, the two current officials said. They said officers from the CIA also would participate."
"A U.S. mission using American forces to hit drug cartel targets inside Mexico would open a new front in President Donald Trump’s military campaign against drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere. So far, the administration has focused on Venezuela and conducting strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats."
"The mission currently being planned for would be a break with past U.S. administrations, which have quietly deployed CIA, military and law enforcement teams to Mexico to support local police and army units fighting cartels but not to take direct action against them."
Comment: "Unlike in Venezuela, the mission being planned for Mexico is not designed to undermine the country’s government, the two current and two former U.S. officials said."
"After NBC’s story in April, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed it at a news conference. 'We reject any form of intervention or interference. That’s been very clear, Mexico coordinates and collaborates, but does not subordinate itself,' she said, according to a translation provided by the Mexican Embassy to the U.S."
"The administration would prefer to coordinate with the Mexican government on any new mission against drug cartels, but officials have not ruled out operating without that coordination, the two current and two former U.S. officials said."
Why is Donald Trump threatening military intervention in Nigeria?
CNN: Trump saw a segment on Fox News. Within an hour, he was laser-focused on Christians’ treatment in Nigeria
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/03/politics/trump-nigeria-military-action-threat
How tiny Qatar became Trump’s indispensable ally
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/03/trump-qatar-gulf-00632460
Video: Crackdown on dissent as Russia remembers Stalin's purges - November 02, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6BAxWtdUa0
Comment: "Russians remembering loved ones targeted in Josef Stalin's Soviet-era purges say they fear a dark past could repeat itself."
"Government critics say dissent is being repressed in a way not seen since Soviet times."
Trump says China's Xi told him he won't move on Taiwan during Republican's term
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/trump-chinas-xi-assured-action-taiwan-republicans-term-127111848
Comment: "President Donald Trump says that Chinese President Xi Jinping has given him assurances that Beijing would take no action toward its long-stated goal of unifying Taiwan with mainland China while the Republican leader is in office."
"Trump said that the long-contentious issue of Taiwan did not come up in his talks with Xi on Thursday in South Korea that largely focused on U.S.-China trade tensions. But the U.S. leader expressed certainty that China would not take action on Taiwan, while he's in office."
" 'He has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,' Trump said in an excerpt of an interview with the CBS' program '60 Minutes' that aired Sunday."
"U.S. officials have long been concerned about the possibility of China using military force against Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory."
Comment: Are Trump's assurances about China's intentions concerning Taiwan credible? Perhaps not. First there is Trump's credibility. Trump has a history of questionable boastful statements, especially if he believes the questionable statements enhance his reputation as a tough, respected strongman. Did the Chinese actually promise to take no action "while President Trump is president?"
Comment: Secondly, there is the credibility of the Chinese. Even if they made the statements to Trump, why would the Chinese truthfully telegraph their intentions to a potential adversary ahead of any action or inaction concerning Taiwan? If the Chinese planned to move on Taiwan or even considered the possibility of doing so, wouldn't they try to hide their intentions from the United States, especially if the American president was susceptible to flattery and susceptible to hearing only what he wanted to hear?
Tariffs are Trump’s favorite foreign policy tool. The Supreme Court could change how he uses them
Comment: Important information. Please read linked article.
Video: Qatari Prime Minister on Israel’s ‘disproportionate’ attack on Gaza during the ceasefire - November 02, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvlZLFpdCQY
Nigeria rejects US military threat over alleged Christian killings
Comment: "The African nation denied that Christians are being persecuted."
Video: Trump posts about 'possible action' in Nigeria - November 2, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPhUnMW55eo
Trump threatens US military action in Nigeria over treatment of Christians
Comment: "U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he has asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible 'fast' military action in Nigeria if the West African nation fails to crack down on the killing of Christians."
"The U.S. government will also immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and top oil producer, Trump said in a post on Truth Social."
"If the United States sends in military forces, it would go in ' 'guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,' Trump wrote, without providing any evidence of specifics about the treatment of Christians in Nigeria."
Comment: "Guns-a-blazing"? Do you now see why Democrats in Congress want to enforce the War Powers Act?
‘At What Point Does This Cross a Line Into International Criminality?’
Comment: " The Trump administration continues undeterred in its campaign to kill alleged drug traffickers in international waters near Central and South America despite an emerging consensus among legal experts who say that the effort is illegal."
"As of this writing, the U.S. military has killed at least 61 people. On Friday, Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the killings and said they were illegal under international law. President Gustavo Petro of Colombia has accused the Trump administration of 'murder' in connection with the death of a man that Petro described as a fisherman on one of the boats. Meanwhile, the administration is stonewalling Congress."
"According to Philippe Sands, who frequently argues before international tribunals, the administration’s actions are 'contrary to the basic precepts of international law.' The question, of course, is what that means as a practical matter and whether foreign governments — including the countries whose citizens have been killed in the attacks — might try to do anything about it."
Trump’s unusual tariff strategy puts America’s allies in a near-impossible situation | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/01/business/tariff-strategy-trump-canada-china
US envoy calls Lebanon a ‘failed state’ as Syria expected to join anti-IS coalition
https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-barrack-syria-israel-hezbollah-ac094d1a19a5063b2f130c90f55db441
‘We don’t feel safe’: after week of bombings, people in Gaza are losing faith in ceasefire
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/01/gaza-ceasefire-bombings-people-losing-faith
Comment: "After initial enthusiasm, people fear ceasefire does not mean end to war but just less frequent, more unpredictable violence"
For News Articles links from before November 1st, 2025, please go to one of the following, depending on the article date:
https://sites.google.com/view/dem3oldnews/home/old3-foreign-policy
https://sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/old2-foreign-policy
OR
https://sites.google.com/view/demoldnews/home/old-foreign-policy
There you will find a continuation of the news links & comments from the period prior to November 1, 2025. The article history can be viewed as follows:
www.dalecodemocrats.com (latest)
sites.google.com/view/dem3oldnews/home/ (May 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025)
sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/ (Nov 2024 election - April 30, 2025)
sites.google.com/view/demoldnews/home/ (Prior to 2024 election)
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